semantics, logicIs it logically consistent for an atheist to believe in the existence of mythical or unproven beings (aliens, Loch Ness monster, sasquatch etc)?
Let’s clarify a few terms:
Aliens, which are intelligent beings from a planet other than ours, are not “mythical.” They are “hypothetical” right now (until and unless such time as we discover them). They are or would be within the realm of the “natural.”
Sasquatch and the Loch Ness monster are individual beings of legend.
Fairies, elves, goblins, satyrs, nymphs, selkies, kobolds, centaurs, and the like are mythical species.
Ghosts, spirits, demi-deities, and deities are supernatural beings.
All these things are subject to evidence claims. Show me the evidence — show me the individual — and I’ll accept its existence.
To answer the question: The only one which makes me an atheist is the claim regarding a deity or deities; the others make me a skeptic. So the real question is: can you have an atheist who’s not skeptical about other extraordinary claims? (I would be surprised if you found any.)
Yes. Atheism only describes one’s lack of belief in god.
I don’t think “believe” is an everyday word for an atheist. If we replace it with “consider existence” then I think the answer is yes.
Believing in anything without any proof is not logically consistent. Atheists by definition are people who do not believe in the existence of a God or gods. Usually atheists are very skeptical, but it doesn’t have to be the case. I am sure that many of the UFO fans would describe themselves as atheists, because there are many logical ways to reach atheism and not all of them have to be because of skepticism.
So while the majority of atheists will not accept any legendary/hypothetical/supernatural/mythical (Lauren Ipsum’s definitions) claims, there are those who believe in alien visitations and UFOs, or even the Loch Ness monster and/or ghosts.
And by accepting unproven claim about aliens I am not talking about the possibility for intelligent extraterrestrial life forms, but all the popular UFOs sightings, abduction stories and so on.
Lack of belief in gods does not mean lack of belief in the supernatural. On the contrary, lack of belief in the supernatural leads to atheism.
Considering the definition of the word, yes, they can. “Theism” is the belief in one or more deities. Therefore atheism is the nonbelief in deities. Anything else is outside the scope of the word.
Considering the general scientific outlook of people who tend to be atheist, however, it all depends. I think if you asked a truly scientific-minded person if they “believe” in aliens, they might give you a couple reasons for, or a couple reasons against. They would never, however, tell you “yes, they exist” or “no, they don’t exist”. Not, at least, unless humanity eventually discovers some.
I’m agnostic about the existence of aliens, although I highly doubt that any images from popular culture would be consistent with their actual appearance if we should get proof of their existence.
About the rest, I’m skeptical. I suppose it’s possible that the Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster exist, but after all this time, the lack of evidence is enough to make me doubt their existence.
I suspect many other atheists are like me in terms of these things.
Obviously atheists can believe in aliens.
Even lots of skeptical atheists believe in aliens. That’s because what we know about the origin of life makes it quite plausible that if life occurred on Earth then it also occurred elsewhere in the vast universe.
What skeptics (atheist or otherwise) don’t believe is that ETs have actually visited Earth. There is no evidence, and there does not seem to be even a plausible mechanism due to the vast distances between stars.
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