N4mddissent
Active Member
- Sep 30, 2008
- 878
- 140
- 28
I always assumed that it was a reference to the idea that since most atheists would acknowledge our ability to reason and understand is beyond any other species, and since most acknowledge no other being with a greater mind, then we by default place ourselves at the top of some sort of order of beings like Alexander Pope's chain, and by definition the being at the top is the greatest or most revered which would be ourselves.
Rep worthy offering.
I don't agree that this is the case. My view of the argument is that most people agree that the Beatles were a great band. Some people may assert that there must be a better band somewhere, but they will be similar to the Beatles. If I say that there is no reason to assume there is a band out there that is better than the Beatles, then I am accused of saying that the Beatles are the best possible band, and no band could ever be better. Whereas, my response is- there could be a better band, but there is no reason to assume there is one, and if there is one, they may sound more similar to the Rolling Stones.
wtf are you talking about?
If someone takes the position that atheists think they are the greatest possible being- speaking for myself, I can say that I don't agree that humans are the greatest possible being- just the greatest being we know of, based on a definition of "great" that refers to human capacity for understanding and reason and knowledge.
In this case, the atheist isn't saying there's no being greater than humans, just that we know of no being greater- like the Beatles fan who says no band is greater than the Beatles is not saying there could never be a band greater, just that he doesn't know of any band greater. Furthermore, the criteria that a being "greater" than humans would have knowledge and understanding (which just happen to be distinct human traits) is just as arbitrary and subjectively biased as a Beatles fan saying that a band better than the Beatles must sound similar to the Beatles, dismissing the idea that a Rolling Stones type band could be as great or greater.