--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes, I think I use the term radical…" description: "\"Yes, I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as atheist some people will say, Don't you mean agnosti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png" --- # Yes, I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just… ![“Yes, I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as atheist some people will say, Don't you mean agnostic? I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a…” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png) > “Yes, I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as atheist some people will say, Don't you mean agnostic? I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one...etc., etc. It's easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal and that it's an opinion I hold seriously.” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A "radical atheist" emphasizes absolute disbelief, distinguishing from agnosticism. **In simple terms:** Strong atheism vs. agnosticism. Key Takeaway Clarify your stance on belief. Themes belief atheism philosophy communication Mood thoughtful assertive Type philosophical political When to use this quote - debates - public speaking - writing essays - online forums Key Concepts epistemology identity rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - Why do you feel the need for a strong label? - How might nuance improve dialogue? A Different Perspective Labeling can alienate moderate listeners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agnostic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostic/) [Agnostic Reply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostic-reply-3166984/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheist Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-really-539727/) [Being yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Describe yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/describe-yourself/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Emphasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis/) [Emphasis Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis-atheist-4967782/) [Etc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/etc/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Radical Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-atheist-3166985/) [Really mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-mean/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Signals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signals/) [Subtle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtle/) [Subtle atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtle-atheist/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [“If you describe yourself as "Atheist," some people will say, "Don't you mean 'Agnostic'?" 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Then he is malevolent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/is-he-able-but-not-willing-then-he-is-malevolent/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' 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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Agnostic quotes > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [The prayer of the agnostic: "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have a soul."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-renan/the-prayer-of-the-agnostic-o-god-if-there-is-a-god-save-my-soul-if-i/) [Ernest Renan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-renan/) > [I'm actually, for the most part, a complete agnostic politically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/i-m-actually-for-the-most-part-a-complete-agnostic-politically/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [Even when I was saying I was Agnostic and trying to figure out my thoughts, I felt God was allowing me to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfre-woodard/even-when-i-was-saying-i-was-agnostic-and-trying-to-figure-out-my/) [Alfre Woodard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfre-woodard/) > [There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-in-fact-nothing-about-religious-opinions-that-entitles-them/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. 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I now believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-still-agnostic-but-in-the-words-of-elton-richards-i-m-now-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm agnostic. 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I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one...etc., etc. It's easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal and that it's an opinion I hold seriously.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rather-loosely-just-for-emphasis/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agnostic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rather-loosely-just-for-emphasis/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/douglas-adams-122_agnostic_yes-i-think-i-use-the-term-radical-rathe_2222832.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yes, I think I use the term radical rather loosely, just for emphasis. 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