Negative and positive atheism

Negative atheism is lacking belief in any gods; positive atheism is affirmatively believing that no gods exist. The distinction separates absence of theistic belief from a claim about reality.

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Atheism: The absence of belief in gods, or the belief that no gods exist, depending on definition. The broader term whose meanings this distinction separates.
Weak atheism: Atheism understood as lacking belief in any gods, without necessarily denying their existence. This is a common name for the negative side of the distinction.
George H. Smith: An American author whose 1979 book Atheism: The Case Against God defended atheism and distinguished forms of it. His writing helped popularize the negative and positive distinction.
Burden of proof: The obligation in an argument to provide evidence for a claim. Positive atheism makes an existence-denial claim, while negative atheism need not assert one.
Definition of atheism: The dispute over whether atheism means lack of belief in gods or belief that no gods exist. This is the central terminological disagreement behind the distinction.
Theism: Belief in the existence of at least one god. Its presence distinguishes theistic belief from negative atheism.
Strong atheism: Atheism understood as the belief that no gods exist. This is a common name for the positive side of the distinction.
Antony Flew: A British philosopher whose essay 'The Presumption of Atheism' argued that atheism should be understood as nonbelief absent evidence for God. His proposed definition foregrounded atheism as absence of theistic belief.
Argument from evil: An argument that the existence of evil counts against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfectly good god. It is a prominent route from nonbelief toward a reasoned denial.
Negative evidence: Evidence consisting of an observed absence or failure to find something expected under a hypothesis. Debates ask whether gods' apparent absence supports positive atheism.