The Pirah

Goduznt Xzst

Wiki: Pirahã People

Seen this story there recently in regards to them: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090412-ENTERTAIN-904120305

They are Atheist in the sense that they do not believe in Gods or Religion but they do believe in spirits. What's interesting about this story is that the missionary that was sent in to try and learn their language so that he could translate the bible for them actually converted to Atheism himself while living with them:

Instead, they brought him to atheism. "The Pirahãs have shown me that there is dignity and deep satisfaction in facing life and death without the comfort of heaven or the fear of hell and in sailing toward the great abyss with a smile."

Dades

... larger people are often buried sitting "because this requires less digging."

Classic!

Rev Hellfire

Sounds interesting, what with it been pay day tomorrow I've decided to splurge out and order it.

JimiTime

So atheism does not reject the spirit realm? You can be atheist and believe in the spirits of dead ancestors etc?

5uspect

Define spirit?

I read about this guy in New Scientist once.
What is more interesting about this tribe is not their lack of gods but their language.
Everett's findings are upsetting a lot of linguists such as Chomski and Pinker.

http://www.physorg.com/news96558379.html

Malari

JimiTime wrote: »

So atheism does not reject the spirit realm? You can be atheist and believe in the spirits of dead ancestors etc?

Yeah, that's what I thought. I would call ancestor worship religious.

sink

JimiTime wrote: »

So atheism does not reject the spirit realm? You can be atheist and believe in the spirits of dead ancestors etc?

While no doubt most atheists don't believe in spirits, belief or lack there of does not impinge on whether they are atheists, for to be atheist you only have to have a lack belief in any form deity. Spirits are not deities. This also relates to the fact that atheism is not a belief system, counter to what is so often espoused by the faithful.

Stercus Accidit

Is a spirit a god?

Let me consult my monkeys skull filled with finger bones.

The Mad Hatter

Yeah, robin (I think) mentioned these folks a whole back in some thread.

Malari

sink wrote: »

While no doubt most atheists don't believe in spirits, belief or lack there of does not impinge on whether they are atheists, for to be atheist you only have to have a lack belief in any form deity. Spirits are not deities. This also relates to the fact that atheism is not a belief system, counter to what is so often espoused by the faithful.

What are spirits then and what would be the appropriate description for someone who does not believe in them!

Dades

A skeptic?

Malari

Dades wrote: »

A skeptic?

That seems too much like a minority desciption for me! It sort of implies that the default is to believe and most would think you are some sort of conspiracy theorist for not doing so :P

sink

Malari wrote: »

What are spirits then and what would be the appropriate description for someone who does not believe in them!

Spirits are mumbo jumbo, as such they are defined by the believer not the sceptic and you will find thousands of different definitions. A person who does not believe in anything supernatural/metaphysical is called a naturalist.

robindch

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Yeah, robin (I think) mentioned these folks a whole back in some thread.

Welcome to the A+A merry-go-round

Goduznt Xzst wrote: »

What's interesting about this story is that the missionary that was sent in to try and learn their language so that he could translate the bible for them actually converted to Atheism himself while living with them.

The story of Dan Everett is definitely worth a read and showed up in the New Yorker almost exactly two years back. His post-missionary research on the Pirahã language suggested that Chomsky's Universal Grammar may not be so universal after all, though not everybody agrees with him. More here:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_colapinto

Great photo of Everett too.

Malari

sink wrote: »

Spirits are mumbo jumbo, as such they are defined by the believer not the sceptic and you will find thousands of different definitions. A person who does not believe in anything supernatural/metaphysical is called a naturalist.

Noted.

I just thought a naturalist was someone with an interest in wildlife. That it had no connection to the spritual. Ah the things you learn in this forum...

sink

Malari wrote: »

I just thought a naturalist was someone with an interest in wildlife. That it had no connection to the spritual. Ah the things you learn in this forum...

You are not wrong, that is a separate correct definition but has fallen out of common usage. 'Naturalist' today is more commonly used to identify someone who follows the philosophy of Naturalism.

Malari

sink wrote: »

You are not wrong, that is a separate correct definition but has fallen out of common usage. 'Naturalist' today is more commonly used to identify someone who follows the philosophy of Naturalism.

Ok, so I'm a naturalist in both senses of the word! And an atheist. Hope I've all bases covered now.

Dave!

I learned a bit about these chaps last year when I was doing a class in cognitive science... Pretty interesting. If I recall correctly, they have no concept of things happening in the future or in the past, but refer to everything in the present... Or somethin like that What a mind f*ck