Is an Atheist Unjust? Theism vs. Atheism Debate in the Light of Moral and Epistemic Imperatives

Abstract

In the article I reconstruct Karol Wojtyła’s argument against atheism. According to Wojtyła, an atheist is unjust because of not rendering absolute honour to God. In my opinion the argument is sound if one applies it to theists or negative atheists (but not to positive atheists) and if one presupposes that there are moral obligations to only supposed persons. The argument meets some objections (amongst others, the problems of multiplying obligations and the inability of an atheist giving honour to God). A discussion of them leads me to an interpretation of the theism-atheism controversy as being the conflict of two imperatives: the imperative of justice and the imperative of evidence.