Athiesm Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Athiesm - Research Paper Example The arguments on atheism base their foundation on science. In his book Atheism: a Very Short Introduction, Julian Baggini presents a discussion of atheists’ responses to the concept of life and deathi. His central concern is about the accusation of atheists for living a purpose-less and meaning-less life because of their lack of belief in the existence of life after death. Concepts and Terms Baggini argues that it is possible for atheist to live a purpose-full and meaning-full life. To set out his argument, he begins by considering whether the believers of life after death have similar problems in finding purpose and meaning given the religious teachings that the experience of an individual in the next life is superior. Baggini also examines the concept that only God gives the life of an individual a sense of purpose, arguing that this undermines the value that people place on their lives in earth. Consequently, humans become slaves to God because the purpose and meaning of li fe only comes through obeying the will of God, leaving little room for people to make their own decisions and choices. Conventional belief in the existence of life after death gives purpose and meaning in life, but Baggini feels that this particular belief undermines the value of the earthly lifeii. He argues that perceiving this life as a mere preparation for achieving better things in the next then makes this life secondary, and may prompt people to engage in horrendous acts purposely to get to the next life and enjoy the better quality of existence. The author further argues that living with the assumption that the life on earth is all there is a better motivation for people to advocate for social justice, despite the conventional belief that God will rectify those who suffered injustices in earth. Baggini argues that accepting the life on earth as the only life will encourage people to sort things out, thus gaining the interest in promoting justice and morality in the world. To him, the eternity of life is a pointless concept. He bases his conclusion on the fact that the belief in eternal life rarely motivates people to do anything, with the argument that an endless amount of time discourages any urgency to accomplish things. On the other hand, the life on earth motivates people as it has a life expectancy of around 70 years, thus individuals seek to accomplish things and maximize their time. The argument on life after death is just one of the rationales presented by atheists in the logical reasons category. Other argument categories include scientific reasons, and practical and personal reasonsiii. Brief History The debate among scholars on atheism has different definition and concepts. A portion of the scholars maintains their atheist perception, others base their arguments on theist perception, yet others reject the perceptions of the two former groups with agnostic arguments. Theist scholars believe in the existence of at least one god, while atheists do not belief on the existence of any gods that are external to human minds. In this both cases however, the arrival, reasons for belief, and what they feel, as well as a series of other factors do not matter. Theism belief in the existence of a god is sometimes difficult to understand, but the embedment in a web of religious beliefs provides a