In what sense is atheism scientific?

Answer 1

It seems to me that, at least at this point in human development, neither the belief in a religious Faith nor the belief in the absence of a supreme being(s) can be 'proven' through the methods of science. Again, it seems to me that the best anyone can do is argue that scientific evidence supports their assertions, but an assertion of support falls far short of incontrovertible proof.

Ultimately - again, at this point in human development - the problem is not so much the limitations of science, but the make up of the human subconscious. The human subconscious demands certainty as the basis for a sense of safety / security. The last thing that the human subconscious wants to hear is 'I don't know.' 'I don't know' is the very opposite of certainty. and, because, like nature, humans abhor a vacuum, we are compelled to fill the vacuum with some sort of certainty. This can either be certainty that one or more supreme beings exist or certainty that no supreme being(s) exist. In either case, uncertainty is emotionally unsatisfying and, therefore, inclined to be replaced with something that is certain!

It's no accident that the French philosopher, Voltaire, asserted that doubt (rather than certainty) is the basis for tolerance and the beginning of wisdom.