Why Do Atheists Care What Theists Believe?
If, as many "skeptical" atheists maintain, we cannot be certain about facts ("capital-T Truth") and if statements of value are subjective and noncognitive, then why should atheists care what theists believe and why they believe it? Moreover, what standing do atheists have that entitles them to talk theists out of their deeply held beliefs? If atheists want to be taken seriously, they need to grapple with these issues. Otherwise, their mission -- and many see it as a mission -- is doomed. Many theists get this, but the atheists I have in mind just plunge ahead, boasting of their edgy "skepticism." This is a sad state of affairs for those of us who are committed to reason, logic, and objectivity in fact and value since those values are key to a humane society. The atheists I'm thinking of seemed to be in the thrall of philosophers who have long been seriously challenged if not discredited entirely. On both counts -- fact and value -- that challenge dates