Been seeing a decent amount of chatter about “dictionary atheism” in my feeds of late. Here are just a few examples:
"The Mythical Dictionary Atheist /Skeptically Left http://t.co/76JYj21Vv0 #atheist #atheism
— Postmodern Prometheus (@MrJ3rkFac3) September 21, 2014
If you've ever had to argue with (or are) a dictionary atheist, read this: http://t.co/MSkyMnppc9 @heinousdealings
— Carlie (@CarlieP) October 13, 2014
I Thought I Saw A Dictionary Atheist http://t.co/QdiNgxVFEO When all that defines you is what does not define you. #atheism
— Digital Cuttlefish (@cuttlefishpoet) October 17, 2014
I still have no idea what the hell a "dictionary atheist" is supposed to be.
— Notung (@SIN_Notung) October 20, 2014
Seems like as good a time as any to weigh in. Since “dictionary atheist” is not in the dictionary, I’m going to stipulate a couple definitions myself.
dic·tio·nary ath·e·ist
noun \ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē, –ˌne-rē\ \ˈā-thē-ist\
1: a person who does not believe in any gods, and who does not generally expect other unbelievers to agree with them on non-theological issues
2: a person who does not believe in any gods, and who is also a misogynist racist ableist shitlord
That second usage seems to be the more popular one in so-called social justice spaces, and can therefore be safely ignored. The first definition is by far more relevant for my purposes here. My idea of a dictionary atheist is someone who, upon meeting another atheist, takes the trouble to find out whether that person identifies as communist, progressive, libertarian, conservative, anarchist, or something else, and welcomes them to the secular movement regardless of their politics. My idea of a dictionary atheist is someone who, upon meeting another atheist, takes the trouble to find out whether that person identifies as a Humanist, an Objectivist, a Satanist, or something else, and welcomes them to the secular movement regardless of their ethical framework. My idea of a dictionary atheist is someone who, upon meeting another atheist, takes the trouble to find out whether that person identifies as a scientific skeptic or a paranormalist woo-peddler, and welcomes them to the secular movement regardless of whether they have yet to sort out science from bunk.
Personally, I happen to identify as a left-leaning centrist, a Secular Humanist, and a scientific skeptic, but if I come across someone who is an atheist, hardcore anarcho-libertarian Satanist, and devotee of essential oils and therapeutic touch, I’m still going to invite them to join the club.
How else would I get the chance to argue them into better positions?
I don’t need you to agree with me on metaphysics, physics, science, ethics and politics in order to join my atheist club. I don’t even need you to agree with me on social issues that I really care about, such as same-sex marriage and separation of church and state. All I ask is that you keep an open mind. You’ve already managed to overcome at least one really popular, really bad idea. We can move forward together from there.
