From: "Mr"
Subject: Agnostics Are Wrong
Agnostics are just as wrong as theist (ok mabye not quite). There is no proof of God, so why not take the position of not believing in him?
This particular writer is operating from a common, but mistaken, belief that "agnosticism" is some "middle way" between atheism and theism - that agnostics are somehow "on the fence," unwilling to either state that they believe in a god (theism) or state that they have no such belief (atheism).
As I said, this is mistaken because it does not accurately describe agnosticism or agnostics. Agnosticism is about knowledge, not belief. An agnostic is someone who is unwilling or unable to assert that they know whether any gods exist or not. An agnostic might go a bit further and insist that no one can know if any gods do or do not exist, but that isn't always the case and it isn't necessary.
At a bare minimum, all agnostics disclaim any knowledge about the existence of gods. This, as we should be able to see, does not exclude either believing in a god or disbelieving in any gods. A person can insist that they don't know that a god exists, but then go on to say that they believe despite the lack of knowledge - maybe because of hope or faith. This person would be an agnostic theists. On the other hand, a person can say that they don't know that no gods can or do exist, but then add that because they have no reason to believe and because most alleged gods are unlikely at best (and often impossible), they also disbelieve in any gods - in other words, that they are atheists. This person would be an agnostic atheist.
Agnostics are not wrong. Everyone ether has a belief in the existence of at least one god or they lack any such beliefs. Thus, agnostics are either also atheist or also theists, even if their atheism or theism is (as far a they are concerned) relatively unimportant in comparison to their agnosticism and therefore rarely worth mentioning. In other words, it's not that agnostics don't take any position on belief or disbelief, but it may be that someone who adopts the label "agnostic" doesn't regard the question of belief to be as important as the question of knowledge.
Note: This message originally appeared in the Agnosticism / Atheism forum. Read the whole thread. More selections from the Agnosticism / Atheism Mailbag...
No comments:
Post a Comment