semantics, philosophyWhat properties would an entity need to have to be considered a deity?
For example, the universe could have been created by super-intelligent aliens, who evolved naturally. Would they be considered to be gods (because they were the “creators”)?
Or does god by definition have to be supernatural? If so, which supernatural properties must it have?
In other words, what exactly do atheists lack belief in?
This is an excellent question. I think the normal understanding of a deity is that it is not constrained by the laws of nature. Hence a deity would have to be supernatural. Super-intelligent, naturally-evolved aliens, even if they created our universe (I assume they live in another universe) would not be deities, as they would be constrained (and created) by the laws of nature in their universe. Generally atheists lack a belief in the super-natural. Atheists tend to be naturalists, which means they believe everything is constrained by the laws of nature, even if we do not understand all those laws yet.
Existence would be my number one criteria but then as soon as it exists it would be part of reality and in my view not deity-like anymore. So I guess the only actual deity that I could label a deity would be a fictional/impossible one.
The absolute minimum requirement for a deity is simply that there exists something that worships it/him/her. Being supernatural is common trait among deities, but it is not necessary (e.g. pantheism). Many deities have cool powers, but on the other hand there is nothing to prevent someone from deifying a mailbox.
I do not deify anything, therefore nothing exists that I would call a god. And so, for me, there is no god to believe in. That is why I’m an atheist.
I agree with Pascal Boyer that, generally, something supernatural ought to be an instance of an ontological category plus a violation of common sense. To exemplify that:
That is, a deity is an instance of the ontological category [PERSON] that violates our common sense conceptions of human abilities in a beneficial-to-the-deity way (unlike the zombie violation).
There is another definition of supernatural by Richard Carrier: a supernatural explanation appeals to ontologically basic mental things, mental entities that cannot be reduced to nonmental entities. It is the difference between saying that wind blows because it wants to blow, and setting forth equations to describe the air currents. By that definition, a deity would be a powerful intelligent agent whose ontological nature cannot be reduced to nonmental entities.
An object that offers explanation when explanation is needed, and no natural explanation is obvious.
Or, perhaps you want to unite a bunch of people to solidify your empire and find some way of creating one. That is as frightening as it is ironic.
My definition would be a supernatural entity that at least one person believes in. Atheism specifically refers to a lack of believe in a god or gods.
I’m a complete anti-mystic myself, and don’t believe in anything not measurable, testable or scientifically provable. This isn’t necessarily true of all atheists, though.
Edit: I missed the last little bit, you know, the important part where you ask a question. Patched in my answer.
The traditional Christian definition formulated by Anselm was: “A being of which no greater can be conceived.”
In other words, a being whose every property is the greatest imaginable. That’s where the whole omniscience/omnipotence thing comes from.
Surely another definition of a deity is that everyone believes, or is coerced into believing, that it is.
Aliens that created the universe are, by definition, supernatural. Since they exist outside the universe.
The simple definition of a god is a being that has supernatural powers. However, this would include psychics, greek gods, ghosts, so on. Which, to me, are just as bullshit. So it is all the same to me.
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