DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2020-4-560-568

Theism and atheism: epistemological identity in difference

Sergey V. Porosenkov
Doctor of Philosophy, Docent,
Professor of the Department of Philosophy

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: svp53@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2331-8276

Maria K. Shishkina
Ph.D. Student of the Department of Philosophy

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: mshishkina34@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4427-3639

The epistemological study of the features of theistic and atheistic thinking outside the axiological and cultural-historical opposition of the corresponding worldview positions reveals the interaction and moments of identity of theism and atheism. The principle of academic objectivism minimizes the axiological dependence of the oppositions of theism and atheism. In the epistemological aspect, it allows for determining the interreliance between theism and atheism, identical anthropomorphic cognitive components in theistic and atheistic thinking, identical development of the oppositions of the general and singular to the extent of the original concepts of theistic and atheistic explanations of the world. The man’s existential demand for the certainty of absolute being also leads to a similar process of rational expression of the theism and atheism principles. In this expression, a significant role is played by symbols that form the semantic field of rationalization of these principles. The moments of epistemological coincidence of the theism and atheism identity allow us to draw a conclusion about the possibility of positive productive interaction between the subjects of virtual communication on the Internet and global interaction of cultures. Moreover, the rapidly increasing religiosity in Russia after the era of atheization is largely explained by the epistemological components of the identity and coincidence of theism and atheism. Epistemological features of theistic and atheistic thinking in the aspect of their relationship allow us to reconcile different worldview positions of the educational process subjects, especially the teaching of social disciplines and humanities.

Keywords: theistic thinking, atheistic thinking, God, matter, being, sign, symbol.

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Received 15.07.2020

 

For citation:

Porosenkov S.V., Shishkina M.K. [Theism and atheism: epistemological identity in difference]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofia. Psihologia. Sociologia [Perm University Herald. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology], 2020, issue 4, pp. 560–568 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2020-4-560-568