Author: Ayoub Rasekh
Modern Atheism in the Balance of Critique (part 5)
The Principal Claims of Naturalism
In the previous section, under the title Foundations of New Atheism, naturalism was discussed as the most fundamental pillar of New Atheism and its worldview. We noted that naturalism is the belief that everything that exists is nothing but nature, and that nothing beyond nature exists. In other words, reality consists solely of nature and natural forces.
Naturalism advances a set of claims that function as a shared worldview among atheists. In this section, some of its most important claims are examined. Broadly speaking, the following five propositions may be identified as the central tenets of naturalism as a common atheistic worldview:
-
Nothing Exists Beyond Nature
Apart from nature—which includes human beings and their cultural products—nothing else exists: no God, no soul or spirit, and no life after death. Reality is limited to matter, energy, and physical laws. Concepts such as God, soul, or the afterlife are regarded as human constructs lacking objective existence.
-
Nature Is Self-Subsistent
Nature is self-existent and not created by God. According to this claim, the universe and its laws require no external creator or transcendent cause. They either exist eternally and self-sufficiently, or they emerged through chance and unknown natural processes.
-
The Universe Has No Ultimate Purpose
The universe as a whole has no inherent goal or final cause, even though human beings may live purposeful lives within it. Cosmic processes are not guided by any preordained divine plan. Meaning in life is therefore a human construction arising from personal choice and effort rather than from divine intention.
-
All Explanations Are Purely Natural and Scientific
Since God does not exist, all explanations must be entirely natural and accessible through science. Every phenomenon must be explained in terms of material causes and empirical observation. Appeals to supernatural causes are considered deviations from rational and scientific methodology.
-
All Properties Are Ultimately Natural
All features of living beings—including human intelligence and behavior—can ultimately be explained in natural terms. Today, such explanations are typically framed within scientific paradigms, especially Darwinian evolutionary theory. [1]
These claims—particularly the last two—demonstrate that naturalism is not merely a belief about the composition of the universe; it becomes a research program and an explanatory ideology. According to this view, every phenomenon, no matter how profound or personal, must ultimately be translated into and reduced to the language of physics, chemistry, biology, and especially evolutionary theory.
This reductionist outlook provides the foundation for denying any sacred reality, pure spirituality, or objective moral values. Such realities are interpreted merely as complex survival mechanisms or as byproducts of neurological processes.
Therefore, naturalism is not simply a description of the world; it carries profound implications for how humans understand themselves, their place in existence, and the foundations of morality and meaning.
Types of Naturalism
Naturalism itself appears in several forms, generally categorized as:
-
Ontological Naturalism
This is the strongest version. It addresses the nature of being itself and denies the existence of anything beyond nature.
-
Methodological Naturalism
This is a more pragmatic stance. It proposes that, for the sake of scientific progress, inquiry should proceed as if only nature exists—without necessarily making a final metaphysical judgment about ultimate reality.
-
Epistemological Naturalism
This form asserts that the only valid and genuine knowledge is that which is obtained through the methods of the natural sciences. [2]
New Atheism is primarily grounded in ontological naturalism, closely connected with epistemological naturalism. It employs this framework as a tool to challenge the metaphysical foundations of religion and to dismiss discourse about transcendence.
Accordingly, the “rational” posture of New Atheism represents a pre-committed stance that excludes anything beyond the domain of nature and empirical science—including religious concepts—under the banner of rationality.
Continues…
Previous Part | Next Part
References:
[1] Shahbazi et al., 1395 (2016): 168.
[2] Bikran-Behesht & Sheikh Rezaei, 1398 (2019): 87–89.
