Comments on: A Skeptic By Any Other Name…

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:48:13 +0000

I consider myself an “empiricist”. I think that has the right flavor (believing things on the basis of evidence found in the world), without invoking all the Hume-ish reducdio ad adsurdum nonsense.

By: Saint Gasoline

Saint Gasoline — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:48:57 +0000

I don’t like Rationalist because that’s a term in philosophy for those like Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz who constructed a priori metaphysical theories without any sort of evidentiary basis. Definitely not the sort of label I’d want to use if I espouse a scientific point of view!

By: Unbeliever

Unbeliever — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:18:05 +0000

Have you considered “rationalist”?

For myself, I use atheist, humanist, skeptic, rationalist, freethinker… I’m not fond of “bright” for the same reason you are… and I don’t use “agnostic”, because that is simply too wishy-washy for my tastes…

By: Need_4_women

Need_4_women — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:39:18 +0000

I have generally co-opted the term ‘God’ it conveys my omniscient and omnipotent manner while displaying the proper level of disrespect and contempt towards religion. Well to be honest, it is not abusive enough, but it suits my arrogant needs well enough. Besides, upon introducing myself as ‘God’, it greatly aids in repelling those that I would not desire to talk with, and attracting those fellow sarcastic assholes that hold the most promise of being fellow gods. Whereupon we can discuss godly matters, drink our single malt scotch and belittle with disdain the common livestock.

“…automatic transmission driving”
?
Please SG, say it is not so, my perception of you as a God will be shattered.

By: Liew

Liew — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:28:58 +0000

Awesome article! I love how you discuss the problems with labels. I like ethics, though, I think it’s interesting. I would love to see you write more about your views on the subject.

By: Ziztur

Ziztur — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:32:02 +0000

Just label yourself as all of those things: you’re a freethinking skeptical atheist.

but then you may as well start applying other labels as well: freethinking skeptical male college educated masturbating sarcastic automatic transmission driving atheist

By: QCato

QCato — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:29:19 +0000

The thing I hate the most about religion—besides the Pope’s stupid hat—is that it’s always a package deal, and much of what’s in the package consists of notions that have been garbled from centuries of interpretation, misinterpretation, reinterpretation, and remisinterpretation. Then it gets plunked down in front of us like great green gobs o’ greasy gopher guts, and we are forbidden to indulge in our own interpretation (heresy), or even comment on the rancid odor (blasphemy). An a la carte method is really what most people are using, but no one admits it. They like the safety of the label, even though it prohibits true spirituality. Baa. Baa baaaaaaa baaaaaaaaa….

By: Devysciple

Devysciple — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:08:33 +0000

Why not go with “Me, Myself, and I”. I guess that’s the most fitting and genuine label I can think of.

Labels are useful, in that they help us put our surrounding world to order, but they are harmful as well. I am an Atheist, where it is appropriate, I am a friend, a lover, a child, a man, a liberal, a skeptic, a smoker, a freethinker, a stubborn person. But most of all, I am me, and nobody will take that away from me. They might try, but they will need a new definition of “all hell breaks loose” after that…

I am proud to be me!