Agnostic atheism
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Agnostic atheism, also referred to as atheistic agnosticism, is a philosophical doctrine that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. Agnostic atheism makes the assertion that there is no way to adequately or definitively know that a God exists, and, due to this lack of certainty or knowability, is therefore not something that should be believed or accepted. Agnostic atheism can be contrasted with agnostic theism, which makes the assertion that while there is no way to adequately or definitively know that a God exists, it is still something that should be believed in based on faith.
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[edit] Overview
Agnostic atheism is the reconciliation of atheism with agnosticism. The word agnostic, as applied here, can be defined as "asserting the lack of knowability of the existence of a God", while atheism can be defined as "disbelief in the existence of a God". Disbelief, as used here, while itself implying a conviction of not believing, should not be misunderstood to necessarily imply that an atheist be certain in his belief that a God not exist. Clear explications of what actually comprises disbelief (and how it is distinguished from related terms like unbelief) vary by source, but what is important to note is that disbelief can simply refer to a refusal of assent to theism, and nothing further.
Therefore, an agnostic atheist asserts that the existence of a God is unknowable, and therefore does not believe in the existence of a God.
Individuals may identify as agnostic atheists based on their knowledge of the philosophical concepts of epistemology, theory of justification or Occam's razor.
[edit] History
One of the earliest explanations of agnostic atheism is that of Robert Flint, in his Croall Lecture of 1887-1888 (published in 1903 under the title Agnosticism):
"The atheist may however be, and not unfrequently is, an agnostic. There is an agnostic atheism or atheistic agnosticism, and the combination of atheism with agnosticism which may be so named is not an uncommon one."[1]
"If a man has failed to find any good reason for believing that there is a God, it is perfectly natural and rational that he should not believe that there is a God; and if so, he is an atheist... if he goes farther, and, after an investigation into the nature and reach of human knowledge, ending in the conclusion that the existence of God is incapable of proof, cease to believe in it on the ground that he cannot know it to be true, he is an agnostic and also an atheist - an agnostic-atheist - an atheist because an agnostic... while, then, it is erroneous to identify agnosticism and atheism, it is equally erroneous so to separate them as if the one were exclusive of the other..."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Flint, Robert (1903). Agnosticism: the Croall Lecture, 1887-1888. William Blackwood and Sons, 49-51.
[edit] Further reading
- Martin, Michael. Theism. MSN Encarta, 2000. Microsoft Corporation.
- Martin, Michael. Atheism: A Philosophical Justification. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1992. ISBN 0-87722-943-0
- Smith, George H. Atheism: The Case Against God. 1st ed. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 1980. ISBN 0-87975-124-X
- Stein, Gordon. The Encyclopedia of Unbelief. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 1985. ISBN 0-87975-307-2
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