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> Atheism was first used to describe a self-avowed belief in late 18th-century Europe, specifically denoting disbelief in the monotheistic Abrahamic god. In the
by slowmovintarget 3y ago
> Atheism was first used to describe a self-avowed belief in late 18th-century Europe, specifically denoting disbelief in the monotheistic Abrahamic god. In the 20th century, globalization contributed to the expansion of the term to refer to disbelief in all deities, though it remains common in Western society to describe atheism as "disbelief in God".
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
The complication of the term for debate purposes only seems to come up in intellectual circles like ours, here.
- MattPalmer1086 3y agoAnd the very first sentence of the Wikipedia article says "Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities.". I first understood atheism to mean an absence of belief in god as a child, and I wasn't hanging out in intellectual circles at the time! But it is certainly true that the meaning of it has shifted over time. I wouldnt say that the complication is for debate purposes only. It is a rather fundamental difference to me.