External Influences

format_quote Originally Posted by czgibson

Greetings,

I use words like 'luck', 'coincidence' and 'chance' all the time, but I don't believe that they are forces that exist independently of human minds. They are concepts that we have invented in order to help explain to each other our attitudes towards certain events.

Peace

That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear. I'll wait for a few more responses until I unveil my master plan. Tee hee hee.

format_quote Originally Posted by Azy

Since the term atheist only refers to a persons beliefs concerning God I don't think it would make any sense to try assess, as a group, their beliefs on a different subject.

Perhaps but I am interested if there are any atheists that don't believe in external influences. As I said though, I will await for a few more responses to reveal all.

format_quote Originally Posted by Gator

I don't quite understand the question? In what sense is chance, coincidence, luck and "external influence"? External to what, reality, my life, poker?

Do I believe that chance, coincidence, luck exist? Yes I do in on the basis that it is a description of the gaussian/chaotic nature of the universe and our uncertain view of it.

Thanks.

External in this context means that you have no control over it. i.e. ''ohhh I'm so lucky, I found a pound coin.''

Basically I want to know if aethiests accept there are things outside of their control. My initial assumption is yes, but this is an investigation and I need results!

Not really. I think it's random.
I'm highly disorganised and chaotic, my life is therefore full of muckups and disasters. I have noone to blame for this but myself.
If something happened that was unavoidable but not influenced by me then it would merely be a part of a chain of events.

A man passes a freind in the street and smiles. His mate smiles back. A passerby sees the mate smiling and, due to her being paranoid, thinks the bloke is checking her out. She moves to the opposite side of the pavement. this causes a mother with a pram to have to swerve cos she is texting as she pushes and dosnt spot the woman till the last second. The pram crashes into a lamppost, a driver sees it and rubbernecks to look. thus he slows down, the bus behind him slows down and just misses the green traffic light changing.
A bomb goes off next to the bus killing the person who in five years from now might have bumped into me knocking me into the path of a car spraining my ankle.

Is the Guy who smiled at his mate, part of my fate?

:

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

:blind:

Simple answers folks! We can get technical after!

Still awaiting a few more. Like ranma's and whatsthepoint.

format_quote Originally Posted by wth1257

I don't think anyone, save an ontological realist, would try to claim probability theorems are pre-existing, metaphysical entities, however that dosen't mean chance is simply a human construction(as English is an artificial construction to describe real thoughts), perhapse the mathematical system used to describe the likelehood that X will happen is a human construction, however like physics equations it is describing a real phenomena, not like a rainbow perhapse, bu8t probability theory does describe the likelehood a given event will "happen" more or less.

Gahhrgh! I Need to drink less beer and study theology more!

format_quote Originally Posted by TrueStranger

:laugh:

Yah, Ranmar..get off ragingatheists.com and get answering!

format_quote Originally Posted by aamirsaab

Just a quick question: Do aethiests accept external influences? I.e. chance, coincidence, luck etc.

depends on the atheists. atheism deals only with the existence of god/s.


i myself accept that we are influenced by things outside ourselves.

chance:yes. things happen and chance is just the statical happening.
coincidence: yes same as above.
luck: yes, not as a magical thing but as the same as above.

I find a 100 bill in the grass. "my lucky day!!!"
did some magical being or influence cause it intentionaly for my benefit, no.

format_quote Originally Posted by Gator

I am tingly with anticipation! Hurry up 1/2 and WTP! Should we PM them?

Pming them is fine. I'd really like their answers on this topic. It's not particularly important but for my own benefit - I'm very curious! .

format_quote Originally Posted by ranma1/2

depends on the atheists. atheism deals only with the existence of god/s.


i myself accept that we are influenced by things outside ourselves.

chance:yes. things happen and chance is just the statical happening.
coincidence: yes same as above.
luck: yes, not as a magical thing but as the same as above.

I find a 100 bill in the grass. "my lucky day!!!"
did some magical being or influence cause it intentionaly for my benefit, no.

Ok just to clarify this I'm simply asking do you believe that there are things that happen but are out of your control. A simple yes or no will do for now. We'll get to the technical/fun stuff very soon.

Oh and for the benefit of any late comers to this thread: My assumption is that aethiests do believe in external forces. I simply wish to confirm this (at least on some level). Upon confirmation (or not) I'll start getting technical.