Answer: Explicit atheism is the absence of theism or the absence of belief in gods due to a conscious rejection of it. Explicit atheism was coined by George H. Smith who described it as "the absence of theistic belief due to a conscious rejection of it." Explicit atheism is thus a type of atheism based on the reason why a person doesn't believe in any gods.
As to the reason why an explicit atheist rejects belief in the existence of gods, George H. Smith notes that they may be rational or irrational and describes the rational motivations thus:
The most significant variety of atheism is explicit atheism of a philosophical nature. This atheism contends that the belief in god is irrational and should therefore be rejected. Since this version of explicit atheism rests on a criticism of theistic beliefs, it is best described as critical atheism.
Smith also describes three sub-categories of explicit atheism, each characterized by a different sort of statement:
- "I do not believe in the existence of a god or supernatural being"
- God does not exist" or "the existence of God is impossible"
- "refuses to discuss the existence of a god" because "the concept of a god is unintelligible"
Although explicit atheism and strong atheism are often used interchangeably, they don't mean quite the same thing. An explicit atheist will also be either a weak atheist or a strong atheist:
- Strong explicit atheism: asserting the position that it is false that any gods exist
- Weak explicit atheism: asserting disbelief in gods, not asserting that it is false that gods exist
Explicit atheism is not as widely known or used as terms like strong atheism or positive atheism.
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