'''Weak atheism''' also called '''negative atheism''' or '''implicit atheism''' is the disbelief in the Existence of God or Gods, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of God or gods. Weak atheism contrasts with strong or explicit atheism, which is the belief that God or gods do not exist, and Theism, which asserts that there is at least one god. The weak atheist generally gives a broad definition of Atheism as a lack or absence of evidence justifying a belief in God or gods, which defines atheism as a range of positions that entail non-belief, disbelief, Doubt, or denial of theism. A narrower definition of atheism as denial of the existence of God or gods as epistemically impossible (synonymous with strong atheism) is also in common use. It should be noted that a strong atheist also fits the definition of a weak atheist, but that the reverse is not necessarily true: a strong atheist believes there is a lack or absence of evidence for justifying a belief in God or gods, but a weak atheist does not necessarily deny the possibility of God or god(s) existence. Some weak atheists may be familiar with the concept of God or gods, yet hold no strong opinion on the actual existence or non-existence, instead they may conclude that the evidence is such that they are only justified in denial of a god belief. Others may doubt or disbelieve the existence of a god or gods, being unconvinced by the evidence or proofs put forward by theists, but hold that it is not currently known whether God or gods exist, and therefore they side with a rejection of the belief entirely. Many more may find themselves unconcerned with the question of whether God or gods actually exist, and instead believe that absence of objective evidence is sufficient for their Epistemic position of denial. The position that the evidence is such that it is not known whether God or gods exist is called implicit agnosticism or Weak_agnosticism. A stronger position is explicit agnosticism or Strong_agnosticism, the view that the evidence in the universe is such that it is not possible in principle to know whether a god or gods exist. Agnosticism, in both strong (explicit) and weak (implicit) forms, is necessarily a non-atheist and non-theist position. A theist can also take the position that he does not have sufficient evidence to "know" whether God or gods exist, although he believes it through faith. Weak atheists often argue that their position is the default one: that every person is born without belief in any god or gods, and must be taught the concept before they can become theistic. Ergo, any person who has never been exposed to theism is by default a weak atheist. Strong and weak atheists may also often claim that their position is the default position since they argue that the possible existence of something is to be earned by proposing enough evidence to suggest a claim is legitimate. In addition, some theists argue that their view is the Epistemic default position by arguing that God or gods are needed in a philosophical account of the origin or sustaining characteristics of the world. Agnostics might counter by arguing that it is not known based on the evidence whether God or gods exist (and if the strong agnostics are right, can never be known), and therefore neither theists nor strong atheists fulfill their burden of proof, therefore both may rely on Faith (though the Burden_of_proof is always on the one making a positive claim, and Metaphysical claims of what exists or doesn't exist is a positive claim, so all three philosophical positions must provide strong reasons for their beliefs). For many weak atheists, beliefs which cannot be fully justified and which rest on faith are untenable, making (for them) both theism and strong atheism untenable. For more on the debate between strong and weak atheism, consult the article on Strong_atheism. See also the articles on Agnosticism, Weak_agnosticism, Strong_agnosticism. Category:Atheism Pt:Ateísmo_cético