Does naturalism vs. supernaturalism strike you as controversial? If not, what question is left?
I personally use “naturalist” to describe myself instead of “atheist” or “agnostic” because I believe it captures my beliefs much more strongly- I don’t have certainty there is no omnipotent entity, and I am more committed than just shrugging my shoulders. Supernaturalism is right out, and most varieties of naturalistic theism don’t hold water.
I personally use “naturalist” to describe myself instead of “atheist” or “agnostic”
According to Wikipedia, a naturalist is usually understood to be something different than a proponent of naturalism. Common usage tends to be more confused about the distinction between a naturalist and a naturist.
I’ve run into problems with “naturalist” with people thinking that it means I support organic farming, or alternative medicine, or similar things that tend to get marketed with the adjective “natural”.
I’ve had better luck with “materialist”, though that also has some pop-culture implications that I’m not trying to express.
Yeah, I avoid “materialist” for that reason. I usually go with “physicalist” for that sort of thing (or “reductionist” if I’m talking to someone who I think won’t immediately misinterpret it).
Does naturalism vs. supernaturalism strike you as controversial? If not, what question is left?
I personally use “naturalist” to describe myself instead of “atheist” or “agnostic” because I believe it captures my beliefs much more strongly- I don’t have certainty there is no omnipotent entity, and I am more committed than just shrugging my shoulders. Supernaturalism is right out, and most varieties of naturalistic theism don’t hold water.
According to Wikipedia, a naturalist is usually understood to be something different than a proponent of naturalism. Common usage tends to be more confused about the distinction between a naturalist and a naturist.
I’ve run into problems with “naturalist” with people thinking that it means I support organic farming, or alternative medicine, or similar things that tend to get marketed with the adjective “natural”.
I’ve had better luck with “materialist”, though that also has some pop-culture implications that I’m not trying to express.
Yeah, I avoid “materialist” for that reason. I usually go with “physicalist” for that sort of thing (or “reductionist” if I’m talking to someone who I think won’t immediately misinterpret it).
Yeah, “physicalist” is good, I may have to start using that.