Agnostic beliefs

The website AllAboutPhilosophy.com declares concerning agnostic beliefs:

Types of agnosticism

See also: Types of agnosticism

The website The Basics of Philosophy indicates about the various types of agnosticism:

“

Strong Agnosticism: This is the view (also called hard agnosticism, closed agnosticism, strict agnosticism, absolute agnosticism or epistemological agnosticism) that the question of the existence or non-existence of God or gods is unknowable by reason of our natural inability to verify any experience with anything but another subjective experience. Mild Agnosticism: This is the view (also called weak agnosticism, soft agnosticism, open agnosticism, empirical agnosticism, or temporal agnosticism) that the existence or non-existence of God or gods is currently unknown but is not necessarily unknowable, therefore one will withhold judgment until more evidence becomes available. Pragmatic Agnosticism: This is the view that there is no proof of either the existence or non-existence of God or gods. Apathetic Agnosticism: This is the view that there is no proof of either the existence or non-existence of God or gods, but since any God or gods that may exist appear unconcerned for the universe or the welfare of its inhabitants, the question is largely academic anyway. Agnostic Theism: This is the view (also called religious agnosticism) of those who do not claim to know of the existence of God or gods, but still believe in such an existence. Agnostic Atheism: This is the view of those who claim not to know of the existence or non-existence of God or gods, but do not believe in them.

”

Limited agnosticism vs. unlimited agnosticism

The Christian apologist Norman Geisler makes a distinction between limited agnosticism and unlimited agnosticism.

According to the website All About Philosophy:

“

Two other types with respect to the ability to know God are limited and unlimited agnosticism. Limited agnosticism holds that God is partially unknowable. It is possible to know some things, but not everything, about God. Unlimited agnosticism, however, claims that God is completely unknowable. It says that it is impossible to know anything about God.

”

Norman Geisler on unlimited/complete agnosticism

See also: Agnosticism quotes

Christian apologist Norman Geisler wrote on complete agnosticism:

“

Complete agnosticism is self-defeating; it reduces to the self-destructing assertion that "one knows enough about reality in order to affirm that nothing can be known about reality." This statement provides within itself all that is necessary to falsify itself. For if one knows something about reality, then he surely cannot affirm in the same breath that all of reality is unknowable. And of course if one knows nothing whatsoever about reality, then he has no basis whatsoever for making a statement about reality. It will not suffice to say that his knowledge about reality is purely and completely negative, that is, a knowledge of what one cannot meaningfully affirm that something is not – that it follows that total agnosticism is self-defeating because it assumes some knowledge about reality in order to deny any knowledge of reality (Geisler, Apologetics, p. 20).

”

See also

• Definitions of atheist and agnostic
• History of agnosticism
• Schools of atheist thought
• Atheist factions
• Denials that atheists exist
• Atheists doubting the validity of atheism

Atheism and belief:

• Atheism and belief

• Atheism and beliefs