The Meaningful Life of the Atheist

A recent post (which you can find here) from NPR was written by an anthropology professor (Dr. Barbara King) who identifies herself as an atheist. Dr. King is writing in response to a book by Dr. Alister McGrath, who by the way has some of the most impressive academic credentials I've ever seen, where Dr. McGrath is describing the inescapable need for meaning that all humans have, and the apparent inability of science alone to account for the totality of human experience. I'm not going to try to defend McGrath, as he doesn't need a hack like me defending his positions, but I would like to point out what I see as the flaws in Dr. King's response.

Dr. King cites the fact that although she is an atheist, she has found a life that is full of meaning and purpose, and this fact alone disproves the belief that meaning can only be found in theism. She is offended, perhaps rightly so, by the accusation from many that only theists can claim to live a life that is full of purpose and higher callings. However, Dr. King misses the true point of Dr. McGrath's argument, which is not that atheists do not have meaning in their lives, but that atheists cannot rationally account for that meaning.

Atheists may be perfectly capable of seeing great meaning and higher purpose in the world and the circumstances around them, but it is not their atheism that provides this meaning, it is rather a belief in an objective design and creative force outside of themselves that must provide it. There is no tenant of atheism that allows the logical foundation necessary for meaning and purpose for the individual. If an atheist finds themselves believing in meaning, purpose, and a sense of morality, it is natural to ask, where did that come from? Impersonal forces acting completely randomly do not logically produce meaning or objective purpose, much less a sense of morality and a higher end to human existence.

So it would seem, that an atheist that sees their lives as having purpose and meaning may be, in fact, not a very good atheist.