This article was developed under the heading: Psychology. Section: Philosophy.
You have probably asked yourself more than once questions of a global nature - about faith, God, religion in general. Most likely, you discussed this topic with loved ones, friends, and colleagues. If we look at the people around us, we increasingly hear from them the phrases “I don’t believe in anything”, “If I haven’t seen it, then it doesn’t exist.” And such phrases are used in relation to many issues of knowledge and existence. One of the most widespread philosophical concepts at the moment is the theory of agnosticism. Representatives of agnosticism - agnostics - claim the impossibility of knowing all aspects of human life. But is it? What is the basis for such views? Let's figure out together what agnosticism is and who agnostics are.
Let's look at what the phenomenon of agnosticism is
Who is an agnostic
The term “agnosticism” is directly related to such phenomena as religion and atheism, which is characteristic of many people. In reality, agnosticism is a middle position between belief in God and atheism (complete denial of the existence of God). Agnosticism is a special vision of the world, which is expressed in a position that assumes that the world cannot be known, and accordingly it is impossible to say with certainty “there is a God or not” unless this can be investigated. But who are agnostics?
An agnostic is a person who believes (according to his own beliefs) that it is impossible to fully understand the world. Hence, this phenomenon is actually broader than just an attitude towards religion.
By big mistake, agnostics are almost always equated exclusively with issues of faith and religion, but the views of agnostics themselves cover many sciences (philosophy, physics, chemistry, etc.). Agnostics represent a phenomenon in which the reality of the world is questionable, and only those factors that can be proven are accepted as objective reality. At the same time, every agnostic will say that fully understanding the world is an illusory possibility.
Scientific agnosticism
We have already mentioned above that the term “agnosticism” was proposed in 1869 by the scientist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), who, by the way, was not even a philosopher, but became famous for his scientific works in the field of zoology and comparative anatomy.
Moreover, this term was born in response to the question whether a scientist considers himself an atheist or a believer. Huxley considered himself a free-thinking person and stated that, we quote: “a person should not think that he knows something that he has no scientific basis for knowing.”
The term "agnostic" is a symbiosis of the ancient Greek α (alpha), which means "without", and γνῶσις (gnosis), which means "knowledge". So briefly, in one word, the essence of an entire direction in philosophy, science and theology was indicated. Elements of agnosticism can be found in the works of a number of scientists who most people do not associate with either philosophy or theology.
Famous agnostic scientists:
- Charles Darwin.
- Albert Einstein.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein were classified as agnostics by biographers who studied their lives and views, but American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson classified himself as a follower of this trend after he was accused of atheism.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, in addition to physics, was keenly interested in the philosophy of science. He wrote that the world around us is a huge eternal mystery, only partially accessible to our perception and our mind. However, the fact that the surrounding reality cannot be completely ordered by reason is the great miracle of science.
This understanding of the relativity of human knowledge probably made it possible for Einstein to create the theory of relativity. For a great scientist, what could not be completely ordered by reason was not at all an obstacle to scientific research, but a challenge that had to be accepted.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin did not hide the fact that his attitude towards religion and knowledge changed throughout his life. He is credited with the phrase that, we quote: “There is nothing more remarkable than the spread of religious unbelief, or rationalism, during the second half of my life.”
At the same time, Darwin himself emphasized that he was not an atheist in the generally accepted sense, i.e. does not deny the possibility of the existence of God. And he believed that the theory of evolution he developed did not in any way contradict his views on religion and the process of cognition. Moreover, Darwin wrote that “the more we understand the laws of nature, the more incredible miracles become to us.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson became famous for his initiative to change the classification of planets and move away from simple counting and assigning a serial number. In his opinion, planets should be grouped according to their common characteristics: terrestrial planets, gas giants, etc. In a sense, Tyson became an “atheist” even in the world of science, having swung at the foundations familiar to everyone.
It is not surprising that he was often accused of almost all mortal sins, including atheism. To this Tyson replied that he is a scientist and thinks with his own head, so the definition of “agnostic” is more suitable for him, i.e. a person who, we quote: “is ready to accept evidence if it exists.” Apparently, this also applies to evidence of the existence of God, if any is found.
Now let’s summarize the main postulates of agnosticism:
- Any knowledge is relative.
- Any statement may turn out to be true.
- Any statement may turn out to be false.
So what is agnosticism anyway - the path to freedom of knowledge or a relic of the past? Rather, this is the path to freedom of knowledge and new discoveries, if we accept the relativity of human knowledge not as a limiter, but as a challenge for further movement forward. This is also an opportunity to question the practical sufficiency and finality of any of the previously made discoveries, which, in turn, opens the way to new scientific achievements.
Well, now you can test yourself and find out how well you understand agnosticism, based on the material in the article:
By the way, if you are interested in the topic of cognition, we invite you to our program “Cognitive Science. Development of Thinking”, where you will master about two dozen thinking techniques.
We wish you new knowledge and impressive discoveries!
We also recommend reading:
- Storytelling
- Neopositivism and the principle of verification
- Empiricism in modern philosophy in simple words
- Paul Feyerabend's Epistemological Anarchism: Promise or Delusion?
- The emergence of positivism
- Materialism and idealism in philosophy
- Theory of knowledge
- Machism: Ernst Mach's contribution to the development of the philosophy of positivism
- Why understand philosophy?
- Philosophy of conventionalism
- Philosophical foundations of the linguistic concept of Wilhelm von Humboldt
Key words:1Cognitive science
What is the essence of agnosticism
So, agnosticism is a special direction of thought, a philosophical movement. But what is it? Let's look at the main criteria of agnosticism.
The word “agnosticism” itself comes from the Greek “agnostos”, which directly translates as unknowable.
Agnosticism itself is a perception of the world in which nothing can be known objectively, since behind such a perception there will necessarily be a human factor, which is necessarily subjective in nature. Hence, in general, the very process of proving something in agnosticism does not make sense, since the possibility of knowledge is denied.
At the same time, agnosticism is characterized by the presence of certain contradictions.
No position (including scientific) can be considered reliable, since it is impossible to prove reliability from an objective point of view.
Not a single position can be refuted, since knowing the truth is unattainable for human consciousness.
Thus, agnosticism in simple words does not refute anything, but at the same time it does not prove anything.
The essence of the concept of Agnosticism
An agnostic is a person who refutes the complete knowledge of the world and phenomena due to the limited perception of man. He is sure that people do not know what is the truth and what is the lie. It is rather a person’s worldview and different perceptions of the world.
The concept of “agnosticism” appeared in science in 1869. It was introduced by the English naturalist and biologist Thomas Huxley. From Greek this word is translated as “unknowable.”
Huxley explained his concept: a person cannot say that he is right about something if he does not have scientific grounds. For example, a scientist cannot speak confidently about a problem if he does not have the facts. Agnosticism is more of a way of examining a hypothesis from a scientific point of view. It cannot be taken on faith without experiments and evidence. Every scientific hypothesis is either refuted or confirmed by a factual basis.
Agnostic Thinking:
1. The modern world is studied by man subjectively. 2. Agnostics do not impose their opinions because they deny a unified and accurate knowledge of the world. 3. We are sure that everyone has their own point of view and there is no point in arguing, because everyone will be wrong.
The theory of agnosticism is based on science and evidence because it is a belief in knowledge. Only that which has an evidentiary basis is real.
Directions and forms of agnosticism:
• Relativism. It is based on relativity. This is the principle of knowledge, in which the basis is sensuality, and it does not reflect objective and stable phenomena. If a concept is untrue and subjective, then it is denied by the objectivity of knowledge and leads to agnosticism. • Irrationalism. Translated from Lat. - unreasonable, illogical. It is based on the assertion that there are many areas of understanding of the world that are inaccessible to the mind of an ordinary person.
The history of agnosticism
But when did agnosticism itself begin? Unofficially, agnosticism originated in ancient times. So, if you turn to the works of ancient Greek philosophers, you can see some statements similar to the positions of agnosticism.
In history, it is generally accepted that agnosticism as a full-fledged philosophical phenomenon originated in the 19th century, when Spencer, Hamilton, Berkeley and Hume (the main agnostic philosophers) expressed the position that it is impossible to know the existing world through human subjective perception of metaphysical phenomena. In general, this teaching was justified by the desire to oppose metaphysics (the way of knowing the world), based on the works of the sophists (another direction of philosophy), skeptics, and ancient philosophers.
Over time, agnosticism as a phenomenon acquired religious overtones, as the movement of atheists (people who do not believe in God and the divine origin of the world) developed. Today, agnosticism is a special school of thought that covers not only religion and philosophy, but also other sciences and spheres of human life.
Historically, agnosticism was not associated with religion and belief in God
Direction in philosophy
In philosophy, agnosticism as a trend arose in the 19th century. This term was used to interpret the views of positivists. They sought to rid philosophy of errors and create a solid structure based on knowledge. Positivists considered all evidence of the existence of God to be insignificant, since they could not be verified in practice.
Positivists assumed the existence of a higher principle or several principles, and therefore did not consider themselves atheists. They sought to find facts that would confirm religious dogmas or lead to new understandings of the divine. Some scientists believed that the opportunity to prove or disprove the existence of God would appear among scientists of the future and formed a new direction in philosophy that exists at the intersection of science and religion.
What do agnostics believe?
Agnostics see the human world in their own way. In order to correctly understand the essence of agnosticism, it is necessary to understand what exactly representatives of time agnosticism believe:
- Man cannot understand the world and its phenomena;
- Regarding religion, it is impossible to accurately determine whether God exists or not. That is, such a religious concept cannot be either proven or disproved by man;
- It is impossible to accurately determine the boundaries of good and bad. That is, the eternal debate about good and evil is ineffective and will not bring any results;
- All confirmed knowledge can always be refuted in the future. This means that knowledge is not valid;
- At the same time, agnostics do not refute the possibility that someday humanity will be able to unambiguously determine the existence of certain phenomena.
Agnostics hold certain beliefs and positions
History of the term
The term “agnosticism” was first proposed for use in scientific circles by T. Huxley. The English zoologist, having received an offer to join the Metaphysical Society, for the first time seriously thought about his attitude towards God and religion. Not finding a term that would accurately describe his feelings, the scientist chose a new word that, in his opinion, described his worldview.
An agnostic, as Huxley saw it, is a person who does not accept religious dogma. He does not believe in the existence of any of the gods, since it has not been scientifically proven. But he also admits that humanity will be able to know the gods in the future, or prove that gods do not exist.
P. Kropotkin interprets the history of the term in his own way. He claims that it was first used by unbelieving writers who liked to gather in a small group at D. Knowles, publisher of the Nineteenth Century magazine. They chose to abandon the definition of “atheist”, preferring “agnostic” - one who denies gnosis.
The first mentions of agnosticism are found in the works of philosophers of the ancient period. The sophist Protagoras and the ancient Indian philosopher Sanjaya discussed the impossibility of verifying and proving the existence of gods. He also doubted the possibility of proving the existence of an afterlife.
Examples of how agnostics see the world
So, we figured out what the ideology of agnosticism includes. But how then do agnostics see our world? Let's look at a few examples to help you understand this.
A person is free to choose his own actions and his life. That is, fatalism as such is denied
Existing categorical concepts (for example, good and evil) are relative in nature - they are not absolutely true and can be refuted
The meaning of life quite often comes down to the concept of hedonism (pleasure, joy and pleasure)
For more specific examples, let's look at specific areas of science and knowledge:
- Religion. Agnostics do not deny the identity of Jesus Christ. Moreover, many representatives of this movement admire the very life of this person. But at the same time, there is no evidence of the presence of divine power and presence in our world;
- The theory of rebirth (reincarnation) and the afterlife. Since this knowledge has not been confirmed in any way (there are only different opinions of people - witnesses of the paranormal, whose catches cannot be subjected to a critical determination of reliability), then agnostics cannot define it as existing. By analogy with religion, agnostics also do not deny their existence;
- The theory of parallel universes. Although many physicists say that Malich’s experiments prove the existence of parallel universes, this is not known for certain. Therefore, agnosticism assumes the existence of other universes, but does not consider such a statement as true knowledge.
Do you consider yourself an agnostic?
Yes, I am agnostic.
100%
No, I am a supporter of other ideological concepts, including religious ones
0%
Voted: 5
Examples[edit]
- “The Flying Tavern” by G. K. Chesterton - the main antagonist, Lord Ivywood, is an agnostic, who decided to promote in England some principles of Islam, such as teetotalism (though with all sorts of reservations, which meant that the upper classes could drink), which did not please ordinary Englishmen .
- "Dune" by Frank Herbert - among the sources of beliefs of Arrakis, along with the religions themselves, the agnosticism of the ruling classes, including the Cosmogation Guild, is named. True, this is not quite the same agnosticism: “...for whom religion has always been something like a puppet theater - to entertain the public and keep it in check - and who believed that all and all phenomena, not excluding religious phenomena, can be in essence, reduce to mechanistic explanations.”
- Zelazny's novel Creatures of Light and Darkness. Preacher and fighter Madrak is a consistent agnostic; for example, the absolution in his performance begins like this: “As far as I can be heard by anyone or anything that may or may not listen to what is said by me, I ask, if forgiveness means anything, that there be you are forgiven for everything you have done or not done that requires forgiveness.” Even more curiously, he prays: “Our Father or not Our Father, who thou art, perhaps in heaven, hallowed be thy name, if thou hast a name and thou desirest that it should be sanctified...” Subsequently, Madrak helps destroy something that seems to be real deity; this realization plunges Madrak into a deep crisis.
- “Heritage” - the elves of Alagaësia adhere to such views (they do not worship anyone or anything and believe that there is no evidence of the existence of any gods, and the Universe develops according to its own laws, but they agree to change their views if, “for example, before the god Helzvog will appear among them”), which at first shocks the protagonist.
- “South Park” is a family of agnostics, in which it is generally not customary to say anything for sure, and therefore their family drink is Dr. Pepper, because it is not really clear whether it tastes like cola or not.
- The film “Exodus: Kings and Gods” is quite agnostic with its wick screwed on. God's appearances to Moses can be interpreted as hallucinations after hitting his head, and all miracles can be interpreted as fortunate natural phenomena (although the Darkness of Egypt and the death of the Egyptian firstborns, perhaps, can only be explained by a great coincidence), and in the end God says to Moses, writing the commandments on the tablets: “If you don’t agree, don’t write.”
- Rudazov’s metaverse is someonetothamism, a quasi-religion with an agnostic philosophy: we don’t know whether there really is Someone Out There, and if there is, what it is, but we do not exclude any options, and therefore we will never forget to thank Someone There - what if He (She? It? They?) still exists and does something good for us? Nobody really knows.
Problems of agnosticism
Like many other philosophical and religious movements, agnosticism has both supporters and opponents of this theory. In this regard, people who refute agnosticism express various problematic aspects of the ideology in question. Let's look at them in more detail:
- The problem of cognition. Since nothing can be objectively known and studied by man, the possibility of any reliable knowledge is refuted. This makes it impossible for the further development of agnosticism as a school of thought;
- The problem of methods of proving and researching the world. Since a person cannot describe everything he saw and heard, the possibility of knowledge is limited. Accordingly, agnosticism is a constant life in the unknown world;
- You can only know those things that exist in the present time. Accordingly, agnosticism rejects the possibility of knowing such categories as “death”, “life”, “time” and others.
Agnosticism is accompanied by certain contradictions
Features of Kant's agnosticism
Kant formulated the basic understanding of agnosticism as a direction that studies the difference between a priori knowledge and information obtained experimentally. The philosopher believed that some areas of science cannot be tested using the main rational method of cognition - experiment. Therefore, no belief can be taken as truth.
As a result of his reasoning, Kant came to the conclusion that objects have duality. Their individual properties can be studied using the senses: a person can determine the weight, color and size of an object without additional instruments. But their hidden characteristics cannot be studied without special equipment. In science there will always be controversial phenomena that cannot be fully understood.
Pros and cons of agnosticism
Agnosticism is not a religion. If you are considering the possibility of adhering to the principles of agnosticism in life, then you need to familiarize yourself with the main advantages and disadvantages of such a concept. This will allow you to determine whether such views are suitable for you or not. Let's look at the main advantages and disadvantages next.
Advantages
The advantages are the following:
- Agnosticism, despite the principle of “impossibility of knowing the world,” is a definite faith. This belief presupposes that the representative believes in the impossibility of objectively assessing the phenomena of the world;
- Agnostics allow the existence of many seemingly impossible and unreal things and phenomena;
- Agnostics are tolerant of all areas of science, philosophy, religion, since they cannot refute them;
- Agnosticism is a fairly peaceful position for justifying peace.
Agnosticism, in other words, is the belief in the possibility of the existence of almost all theories
Flaws
Uncertainty (nothing is knowable, nothing can be proven or disproved)
It is always necessary to confirm your position with philosophical positions and views
Absurd understanding of religion and faith
Knowledge of the world according to agnosticism should be based exclusively on human senses (hearing, smell, vision, touch)
When maintaining agnosticism, there is no possibility of using methods of deduction and induction
The need to constantly explain one’s position in life
Famous agnostics
Among the representatives of agnosticism one can single out Protagoras, Kant and Hume, the greatest Scottish philosopher. Among his contemporaries, Hume became famous for his political and diplomatic activities. Hume served as a diplomat at the British embassy in France, and in addition to his main work, he was engaged in writing scientific works. He published a fundamental collection of works - the collection “History of England”, which quickly spread throughout all countries of Western Europe.
Under the influence of Hume's views that spread among the intellectual elite, the next generation of agnostics was formed:
- A. Smith;
- O. Comte;
- O. Comte;
- B. Russell.
According to Hume, knowledge must be based on sensations and experience. The philosopher also assumed the existence of non-experimental knowledge, the classical type of which he called mathematics. Mathematical science appeared as a result of the activity of consciousness, and it, unlike perception, is subjective.
In the scientific world, an agnostic is not a practitioner, but an observer. He can enter into discussions with representatives of different directions, but not take a specific position. For modern science, a skeptical approach is extremely important. It allows the scientific approach to develop and progress. Agnosticism is not a holistic concept, but one of the ways of understanding the world that will never lead to the final result.
Types of agnosticism
We have already mentioned that agnosticism is not only associated with faith, but also with all other branches of knowledge. Let's look at certain types of agnosticism that stand out at the moment:
- Skepticism. You've probably heard the phrase “I'm a skeptic, I don't believe in it” more than once. But what does it mean? Skepticism itself represents a movement in which the truth obtained as a result of human thinking is subject to opinion. That is, any knowledge cannot be true;
- Relativism. This type of skepticism assumes that there is no knowledge in the world and society that is worthy of trust. Literally, this position means that everything in this world is contested and should be questioned;
- Irrationalism. Unlike other types, irrationalism is part of religious, or even mystical philosophy. This means that a person receives knowledge from the outside, but is not aware of it.
There are many types of agnosticism in the modern world.
Agnosticism in philosophy
The movement under consideration was originally developed and born in philosophy. If we consider directly the philosophical positions on agnosticism, we can distinguish the following characteristics:
- Man's weakness is his inability to understand the world;
- Lack of objective possibilities of knowledge;
- Used as a justification for irrational thinking, religion, faith, and human life itself.
In philosophy, the concept of agnosticism is directly related to the search for the meaning of life and the trend of hedonism. That is, a person cannot cognize reality - he cannot determine the meaning of his life in knowledge - the meaning of life lies in pleasures and joys (hedonism).
Agnosticism in religion
Agnosticism in religion is directly related to atheism. However, these two phenomena have different meanings. In religious thought, agnostics assume that God may exist, as well as a divine power, but this cannot be proven and therefore impossible to disprove.
Thus, agnosticism exists as if in parallel with all existing religions. He does not deny any of them, does not single out the most faithful and correct, and does not compete with the positions of world religions. Hence, agnostics, like atheists, are a peaceful element for any existing religion.
No religion rivals the positions of the agnostics
Scientific agnosticism
Agnostics in science adhere to the basic principles we have already discussed. So, for example, in science, agnostics believe that not a single theory can be unambiguously proven, since it can be refuted at any time.
Very often in science, agnostics equate any knowledge with “misconception.” This means that even if a theory is proven (for example, an axiom in geometry), it can be the result of human error.
Philosophical agnosticism
The beginnings of agnosticism can be seen in the teachings of ancient philosophers. Thus, the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras (485-410 BC) argued that, we quote: “man is the measure of all things.” Because All people are different and perceive the world around them differently; objective truth as such cannot exist in principle. In one aspect or another, representatives of different philosophical movements - positivism, empiricism, evolutionism and others - used agnosticism in their teachings in later periods.
The most famous agnostic philosophers:
- George Berkeley (1685-1753).
- David Hume (1711-1776).
- Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).
- Herbert Spencer (1820-1903).
Let us dwell in more detail on the views of some of the most prominent representatives of this trend in philosophy.
George Berkeley
George Berkeley argued that “being is that which is perceived, or the one who perceives.” Thus, the entire surrounding world is mediated by human perception, and exists in the human mind only in the form in which people perceive it.
Accordingly, any knowledge of the surrounding world is mediated by human perception, and therefore cannot be absolute. Thus, the only reality for a person can only be his own consciousness and perception of the world around him.
David Hume
David Hume expressed many similar ideas. In his “Treatise of Human Nature,” Hume pays a lot of attention to the topic of the reliability of knowledge as such and the ability to be convinced of the correctness of a particular message. This does not mean total skepticism, but it does indicate the need to clear the cognitive space as the first step towards knowledge, at least relative.
According to Hume, any knowledge is built on experience gained through sensory perception, and is supplemented by a person’s own conclusions made in the process of gaining experience. Thus, the process of cognition is always associated with certain assumptions and even fantasies, which cannot always be verified experimentally.
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant believed that the surrounding world exists as a “thing in itself,” i.e. regardless of our consciousness, influencing a person and his senses. Therefore, the key question becomes the study of the mind itself and its boundaries, because This directly determines whether pure knowledge is possible and how pure knowledge is possible.
Kant believed that until we understand this, we cannot know how similar the “thing for us” (what we see) is to the “thing in itself” (what exists in reality). This is the agnosticism of Kant, who actually took the position of the impossibility of absolute knowledge as long as the capabilities of the human mind are unknown.
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer in his work “Fundamentals” argues that a person cannot know anything about the so-called “ultimate reality”, i.e. one that goes beyond the capabilities of the human mind at this stage.
Religion takes advantage of this, explaining various phenomena with the help of conjectures and metaphors, which, again, are not possible to verify due to the limitations of human cognition. However, such limited possibilities of knowledge does not at all mean the absence of evolution, progress of human society, human thought and science.
Thus, agnosticism in philosophy is the understanding that a person cannot know anything about God and other phenomena that cannot be studied experimentally. This approach is also valuable for science.
What is the difference between agnostic and atheism?
In this article, the parallel between agnostics and faith, as well as agnostics and atheists, was often heard. Both do not recognize the existence of God. But what then is the difference between them?
Agnostics
They do not adhere to any faith or religion, but do not deny the rationality of a person’s faith in a higher power
Agnosticism is the belief that the world is unknowable
Do not deny the possibility of the existence of God
Do not contradict existing religions, since they are not denied
Agnosticism is characteristic not only of religion, but also of science, philosophy, etc.
Atheists
Deny the need for spiritual practices and attitudes towards any faith
Deny belief in anything as such
Deny divine power and divine participation in the creation of the world
They are opposed to existing world religions
Atheists exclusively consider matters of religion
Religious agnosticism
We see the most striking application of this concept in theology. An agnostic considers it impossible to establish the fact of the existence of God, as well as to refute the fact of his existence. Therefore, a thinking person can believe in God only within the framework of the assumption of the possibility of his existence, but not as an adherent of any religion with all its dogmas and rituals.
The dogmatism of any religion contradicts the agnostic’s beliefs about the unknowability of the surrounding world, therefore any superpowers attributed to deities cannot be taken on faith, nor can they be refuted. Accordingly, the requirement to observe religious rituals is also not justified, and it certainly cannot be explained why they should be this way and not some other.
The very fact of attempts to impose certain dogmas is unacceptable from the point of view of agnosticism, because any evidence provided for the existence or absence of God cannot be sufficient and convincing due to the subjectivity of the process of cognition itself. Moreover, the very requirement to accept something on faith, without requiring logical proof, must be considered unacceptable and immoral. In other words, agnosticism does not deny knowledge itself, but points to its subjectivity.
This approach allowed philosophers of the past to contrast agnostics with both believers and atheists, because both believers and atheists spoke clearly either for or against the fact of the existence of God, but no one is ready to admit that they cannot know whether this is so. Note that there are quite a lot of supporters of agnosticism among philosophers.
Should you become an agnostic?
Today, the number of agnostics and atheists is constantly growing in the world. This is primarily due to the progressive development of society and science. And also with the fact that more and more states are becoming secular (non-religious). Therefore, the question of “Should you become an agnostic” rests solely on you and your views. You must decide for yourself which views and positions are more true for you.
How to become agnostic
Since agnosticism is not a religion, the procedure for becoming a representative of this movement is quite simple. Awareness of the reality of “I am an agnostic” requires going through a certain process of familiarization with the relevant literature. Let's look at this process:
- Study the literature on agnosticism;
- Decide whether such positions are suitable for you personally;
- If you are a representative of any religion, then you need to renounce it. Since faith presupposes absolute faith in the presence of higher powers. There should be no hesitation here;
- Just start sticking to agnostic principles.
You cannot remain, for example, a Jew if you are an agnostic
How to stop being agnostic
The procedure is as easy as becoming an agnostic. Just stop classifying yourself as an agnostic. There are no special ways out of this “faith.” You, like all people, are constantly developing, and accordingly, your worldview and outlook on life may change with age.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Dialogue between Detochkin and the pastor:
- Well, still, why do you have all your money in rubles? This is something suspicious. Not good. - What are you, a prosecutor? I don't ask where this car came from or why there are no documents. “And I can say frankly: I stole this car.” I can tell you from whom and for what. “I can also tell you frankly: I am a pastor.” These rubles are a donation to Him. Well... there's a little time left... - And you believe in God? - All people believe. Some believe that there is a God, others believe that there is no God. Both are unprovable. Will you recalculate? - Will!
[edit] Links
- Agnostics about yourself: Bertrand Russell. What is an agnostic? Am I an atheist or an agnostic?
- Atheists on agnostics: Richard Dawkins. God as an illusion - chapter “The Poverty of Agnosticism”
- Do agnostic know-nothings know what they want? Evgraf Kalenevich Duluman (that’s his name!)
| [ + ] “Agnosticism is the opium of the people!” | |||||||||||||||||
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Philosophers and agnosticism
This concept has been presented by a huge number of thinkers, but in its simplest and most general form it was presented in the works of Hume. This philosopher put experience at the forefront of knowledge, which is quite natural. Nevertheless, quite naturally in this case the question arose about how much a person’s experience coincides with reality, the essence of things.
Further, agnostic philosophers developed this idea, introducing more and more new things into it. Thus, one of the classics of philosophy, Immanuel Kant, introduced the concept of a “thing in itself,” which cannot be fully known. He insisted on the difference between the imagined and the real, separating these concepts very strictly and fundamentally.
Over time, the category of God was added to philosophical teaching, and a God alien to religion. For some, it was presented as the Supreme Mind, others insisted on the Truth, and others spoke about the existence of the Absolute Spirit.
Nevertheless, despite the difference in points of view, thinkers agreed on one thing: the embodiment of this very Absolute, as well as its full comprehension, are simply impossible under any conditions. Thus, a person, from the point of view of agnosticism, cannot claim that God is Allah, Jesus Christ or Buddha, since the very essence of God cannot be embodied and known.
