Agnosticism is of the essence of science, whether ancient or modern. It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe. Consequently, agnosticism puts aside not only the greater part of popular theology, but also the greater part of anti-theology. On the whole, the "bosh" of heterodoxy is more offensive to me than that of orthodoxy, because heterodoxy professes to be guided by reason and science, and orthodoxy does not.[12]
— Thomas Henry Huxley
6
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T: God exists.
Me: Got any evidence to go with that extraordinary claim?
T: I have faith that god exists, he's in my heart.
Me: I don't believe you. Oh, you might want to get that checked out--it doesn't sound healthy.
T: You can't prove that he doesn't exist!
Me: Why would I do that exactly? That's an argument from ignorance. I haven't made a knowledge claim either. I don't know whether or not god(s) exist but have seen no compelling evidence that they do. Also, you made the claim that god exists so you have the burden of proof. I don't believe your claim.
T: So you're agnostic then?
Me: Agnostic and Atheist are two answers to separate questions. I do not know if deities exist but do no believe they do. I'm Agnostic (without knowledge) and Atheist (without a god belief). Atheism generally speaking is without belief in gods. There are subcategories within it. A Strong Atheist will say they know Gods do not exist. A Weak Atheist will not make a knowledge claim. I'm a Weak Atheist. You need to work on your arguments.
T: I'll pray for you.
Me: I'll think for you.
AustinSkepticus
Level 7
Apr 12, 2018
1
Not trying to take over the comment section. People like to assume theism and atheism are two sides of the extremes. Strong Atheists (especially ones that are also full throttle antitheists) often like seeking out fights and thus people are more likely to have interactions with them.
“Believing “ there is or isn’t a super natural power takes the same amount of self hypnosis in my opinion.
Stating opinions as facts is a slippery slope.
Because something seems absurd , to me, is a good reason not to pursue it or rely on it.
Howitstarts23
Level 6
Apr 12, 2018
0
@TiberiusGracchus
I also lean towards thinking the universe is infinite. This allows for quite a few many things-an infinite amount. Whether things are worthy of contemplation,in my opinion, is a personal decision.
I really don't know what that last part of that quote is intended to mean. But I certainly agree with the first.
I would also point out that there is no contradiction between the terms agnostic and atheist. They speak to slightly different questions, and are both valid. I, myself, actually prefer the label "agnostic atheist." Look it up on Wikipedia. It's a thing.
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Apr 12, 2018
0
I completely disagree with Huxley.
If someone wants to be agnostic, that's fine. If you don't know, you don't know. That's fair, and
it's completely reasonable to say so.
However, I do not believe in any gods. I don't believe any gods have ever existed in reality.
There isn't a shred of credible, verifiable evidence which proves any god ever existed at any time.
Science does not have to prove that which does not exist, does not exist.
The only ones bearing the onus of proof are those who make the claim that a thing exists.
It's not that hard.
KKGator
Level 9
Apr 12, 2018
1
I don't believe you can say you disagree with Huxley on the definition of a word he coined. You sound like an atheist to me, as I myself am. That is why I do not call myself agnostic. I believe I know that there are no gods nor do I feel any reason to try to prove it. I do however acknowledge freely that I cannot use my reason nor science to justify my belief there is no god. It is not a question of whether science should seek to prove there is no god, but rather that it has no ability to prove there is no god. It doesn't.
KKGator is spot on....Huxley is free to say what that which he does not know but wrong if claiming Atheists CANNOT know all the evidence that shows zero alleged miracle workers have created anything be it a planet sun moon fish or female. ....we Atheists are NOT BELIEVERS of any kind....we know what we know. ...faith is belief without evidence. ....there is nothing scientific about agnosticism. ....science is the organizing of knowledge testing theories re-testing observing formulating. ......agnosticism is the lack of knowledge and belongs in the religious camp where they spew faiths without evidence. ...the non-words gawd gott gods are gibberish. ...referents without objects
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