Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Can atheists, who believe that God does not exist, have faith? Of course, atheists have certain kinds of faith: faith in their friends, faith in certain ideals, and faith in themselves. However, the question we’ll examine is whether atheists can have theistic faith: faith that God exists. Philosophers tend to fall on one of two extremes on this question: some, like Dan Howard-Snyder (2019), say unequivocally no; others, like Sam Lebens (forthcoming), say unequivocally yes. Spoiler: I take a middle position: I argue that atheists can have action-focused faith (faith in how they act) but not attitude-focused faith (faith in what attitudes they have).
Link to handout: drive.google.com/file/d/1JbjUlsbap8HZkd-59d-RUCMVuN9s5HJY/view?usp=drive_link
Previous video on atheism and religious practice: youtube.com/watch?v=BA3Ps39Qm-A
My IEP entry on faith: https://iep.utm.edu/faith-contemporary-perspectives/
Joe Schmid on lack theism: youtu.be/ElYTNV8QSmk?feature=shared
My paper (about the "hopeful atheist"): philpapers.org/rec/JACBFA
My paper (about the "wagering atheist"): philpapers.org/rec/JACFTP-2
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Check out my website: liz-jackson.com
For more on my research: liz-jackson.com/research
For popular-level interviews, podcasts, and blog posts I’ve done: liz-jackson.com/public-philosophy
Follow me on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/lizjackson111
Instagram: instagram.com/lizjackson111
Facebook: facebook.com/lizjackson111
Can atheists, who believe that God does not exist, have faith? Of course, atheists have certain kinds of faith: faith in their friends, faith in certain ideals, and faith in themselves. However, the question we’ll examine is whether atheists can have theistic faith: faith that God exists. Philosophers tend to fall on one of two extremes on this question: some, like Dan Howard-Snyder (2019), say unequivocally no; others, like Sam Lebens (forthcoming), say unequivocally yes. Spoiler: I take a middle position: I argue that atheists can have action-focused faith (faith in how they act) but not attitude-focused faith (faith in what attitudes they have).
Link to handout: drive.google.com/file/d/1JbjUlsbap8HZkd-59d-RUCMVuN9s5HJY/view?usp=drive_link
Previous video on atheism and religious practice: youtube.com/watch?v=BA3Ps39Qm-A
My IEP entry on faith: https://iep.utm.edu/faith-contemporary-perspectives/
Joe Schmid on lack theism: youtu.be/ElYTNV8QSmk?feature=shared
My paper (about the "hopeful atheist"): philpapers.org/rec/JACBFA
My paper (about the "wagering atheist"): philpapers.org/rec/JACFTP-2
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out my website: liz-jackson.com
For more on my research: liz-jackson.com/research
For popular-level interviews, podcasts, and blog posts I’ve done: liz-jackson.com/public-philosophy
Follow me on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/lizjackson111
Instagram: instagram.com/lizjackson111
Facebook: facebook.com/lizjackson111
