Agnosticism

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David Hume
David Hume

Agnosticism is, in weaker forms, an affirmation of ignorance regarding the existence of God, and in stronger forms, the assertion that God's existence is not capable of being known (unknowable).

The proponent of the weaker form does not make a claim to knowledge about existence, but he simply suspends from making a decision. A suspension of decision, in terms of logic, does not have a truth value, and therefore he is not making an argument. The proponent of the stronger form goes a step further and makes a claim to knowledge by saying, I know that the existence of God cannot be known. However, the stronger form does have a truth value, and therefore can be right or wrong. Either what the proponent of stronger agnosticism is correct, that the existence of God is not capable of being known, or he is incorrect.

The word "agnostic" was coined in 1869 by T. H. Huxley[1] from the Greek roots a- not, and -gnostic, knowing; the philosopher Herbert Spencer was influential in spreading its use. One nineteenth-century saw held that "There is no god but the Unknowable, and Herbert Spencer is his prophet."[2] David Hume and Bertrand Russell were famous agnostics. Two present famous agnostics are Larry King and Fidel Castro.

Agnosticism has become a fairly common belief system in Western culture with 14% of people in the United States, 32% of people in France and 35% of people in Great Britain self-identifying as agnostics.[3]

Contents

Atheism and agnosticism

Some agnostics bristle at the term atheist. They say they aren't atheists, because they don't "believe that God does not exist" but rather "neither believe nor disbelieve".

Agnostics differ from regular atheists in that they do not deny God's existence.

Many religious believers make no distinction among non-believers. If you're not sure that God exists, they combine the unsure and "surely not" into one lump. For these believers, an "atheist" is anyone who doesn't believe in God.

Among those who have not decided whether to believe in God, or to disbelieve in Him, there are two main groups:

  1. Those who simply haven't made a decision
  2. Those who declare no rational decision is possible, on the grounds that the existence of God is not knowable.

Bertrand Russell once wrote that, in describing his beliefs,

I never know whether I should say 'Agnostic' or whether I should say 'Atheist'.... As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one [can] prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think I ought to say that I am an Atheist, because when I say that I cannot prove that there is not a God, I ought to add equally that I cannot prove that there are not the Homeric gods.[4]

Agnostics and Uncharitableness

Agnostics in the United States give significantly less to charity than theists.

References

  1. ↑ T. H. Huxley was also an early and influential supporter of Darwinism.
  2. ↑ London, Jack (1913), Martin Eden, Chapter 13
  3. ↑ http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131
  4. ↑ Russell, Bertrand (1947) Am I An Atheist Or An Agnostic? Most online sources say "by which one prove," probably a mistake.

External links

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