Clarify and explain two arguments for the non-existence of God.
a) Clarify and explain two arguments for the non-existence of God
Intellectual atheism seeks to prove that the fallibility of theistic arguments, such as the teleological and ontological argument, is evidence that God does not exist. The absence of indisputable proof for God’s existence is reason enough not to believe in Him. Two proponents of this atheistic school are Ludwig Feuerbach and Friedrich Nietzsche. Both extrapolate an argument from this initial claim by undermining the concept and existence of God in two different ways. Feuerbach has an anthropological disproof of God; that He merely satisfies a human desire as “man writ large”. Nietzsche, however, denies the existence of any external God as an incredible and “dead” idea.
Feuerbach (1804-1872) is the father of projectionist atheology; he insists that by studying the relationship between ideas about God and the societies from which they arose, one has evidence for God’s non-existence. He is an empiricist who argues that God is the imaginary focus of human ideals that are a reaction to practical conditions and inadequacies. Gaskin asserts that the same sentiments are found in the writings of Xenophanes, as he believed that “the gods of oxen would be like oxen and horses’…like horses”. Feuerbach maintains that religious beliefs are essentially vicarious as they fulfil what we desire to be, “a poor man has a rich God”. Although humans have limited power, God’s omnipotence is a projection which highlights feelings of impotence and alienation. The zenith of qualities we want to have, such as unconditional compassion and love, can be found in God and his incarnate son. The Resurrection is another example; the belief that Jesus overcame death quells our innate fear of death. These aspirations can be harnessed for good as long as religion is not misinterpreted. However, Feuerbach argues that this insistent belief of a God and the afterlife ultimately obstruct people from true freedom. By glorifying God, people cannot mature and realise their potential in this world. He has had an enormous influence on subsequent atheists; Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) consider God to be the manifestation of economic and psychosexual influences.