Agnosticism and Atheism
Agnosticism - The Basics
By: Psyche
The word ‘agnostic’ comes from the Greek agnostos meaning 'unknown, unknowable' (‘a' meaning 'without’, and 'gnosis' meaning 'knowledge'). Therefore literally, agnostic means 'without knowledge', but tends to refer specifically to one who is 'without knowledge of gods'. The term was coined by Thomas H. Huxley, a British scientist in the nineteenth century who believed only material things could be known with any precision.
Better described as a philosophy than a religious or spiritual belief, agnosticism holds two basic principles at its core. The first being epistemological in nature, in that agnosticism relies on empirical and logical means for expressing what can be known about the world. The second principle deals with morality, insisting that one cannot ethically state a claim that cannot be supported either through empirical evidence or logic.
Agnosticism is based on simple observation of the world. There is no direct evidence that gods exist, nothing one can point to and say ‘hey look, here’s a god over here’, nor anything equivalent to a god’s fingerprint to examine. Numerous people have tried to assert claims of the existence of gods, saying that it is implied based on sacred writings, seemingly miraculous events, anecdotes of personal inspiration or mystical experiences, secret ‘master plans’, etc., but this is rarely sufficient to convince anyone; agnostics require empirical evidence to support such claims.
Some agnostics may take it that step further, and adopt an agnostic attitude toward any potential information about the world, not only the existence of gods, but in anything one can know for certain about the world.
Agnosticism is often misunderstood to mean that a person is merely undecided as to whether or not gods exist; when actually agnostics believe that such knowledge simply isn't possible. Agnostics would likely be willing to change their position if some solid empirical evidence or logical proof is discovered in the future. However, many have taken the position that there is no logical way to prove without a doubt the existence or non-existence of gods.
There is a misconception that agnosticism is some sort of 'third way' or middle ground between theism and atheism. Agnosticism states that knowledge of gods cannot be known, whereas with theism and atheism the argument lies with the belief in the existence of gods. In fact, there exists agnostic theism, which is the belief in gods without claiming to know for sure whether or not those gods exist; and agnostic atheism, which is the disbelief in gods without claiming to know for certain whether or not those gods exist. Agnosticism challenges the very idea that a conclusion as to whether or not gods exist can be known at all.
A great many atheists are also agnostics. It is not uncommon for an atheist to be strong in their belief and also maintain that their belief is based on faith, and not having absolute knowledge to support it. Some degree of agnosticism is evident in every theist who considers their god or gods to be 'unfathomable', or to 'work in mysterious ways'. This demonstrates a recognized lack of knowledge on the part of the believer. It may not be reasonable to believe in something acknowledged to be fundamentally unknowable, but as we know, that doesn't stop everyone. Thus, once the terms are correctly understood, it becomes obvious agnosticism is not an alternative 'third way' or middle ground between theism and atheism - it is a separate issue that is compatible with both.
To sum up, agnosticism states that knowledge of gods is not possible, nothing further is necessarily implied in religion, politics, morality, etc. Gods may or may not exist, but agnostics deem it impossible to state with any certainty one way or the other.
Atheism: The Basics
By: Psyche
At its simplest theism can be defined as the belief in the existence of at least one god, and atheism as the absence of belief in the existence of any gods. The word comes from the Greek, the pronoun ‘a-‘ meaning ‘without’ and ‘theos meaning ‘god’.
An atheist’s absence of belief may come from a deliberate choice not to believe, or from an inherent inability to believe religious or spiritual doctrine as literally credible. Atheists are not 'in denial' and are not willfully ignoring evidence of gods. It is possible that someone may be atheist by default, having never been exposed to the concept of gods, but I've never encountered this outside of speculation alone.
In discussing the absence of a belief in god or gods the definition of what is meant by 'god' or 'gods' cannot be immediately assumed, as belief systems vary greatly in various religions, philosophies, and personal beliefs. Therefore, before ruffling any feathers, it might be a good idea to discuss what might be implied, as each response is going to be different with each person involved.
Beyond the Judeo-Christian understanding of gods for example, it may be argued that gods exist in a metaphorical sense. For example, that gods dwell within each individual in the mind, in the conscience, or in consciousness itself. An atheist will not likely dispute that gods can exist metaphorically in an individual's mind; the disagreement lies in whether or not these gods can exist or not independently of the mind and outside of human belief.
Another form of theism, called animism, describes natural objects such as stones, trees, rivers or even the universe itself as being spiritual beings, even gods. Atheists don't deny their existence as physical objects, but rather dispute whether or not such objects can be rightly classified as 'gods'.
The absence of a thing cannot be proven by definition, therefore demanding an atheist prove the non-existence of gods is self defeating (so please don’t do it, it’s very dumb). The burden of proof here lies with the theist. If the theist cannot demonstrate that their belief is reasonable and justified, then atheism immediately seems a perfectly reasonable and creditable stance.
Mere disbelief in the truth of a proposition (in this case, the disbelief in the existence of gods) cannot be treated as equivalent to the belief that the proposition is false and that the opposite is true; neither the world nor most individual belief systems work in such strict duality. If one makes a claim and another disbelieves it, it is not necessarily the same as saying that the claim is false. It may be that the preposition was not understood well enough to determine one way or another, or one may lack the means or information to test a claim, or one may simply not care enough to think about it either way. Atheism may be a chosen by default from lack of knowledge, or it can be well reasoned doubt, or otherwise.
There is a purveying assumption that atheism is a non-religious religion, or an anti-religion, when this simply isn’t the case. If we take ‘religion’ to mean ‘a set of beliefs, values and practices, or a cause principle or activity pursued with contentious devotion’ even omitting reference to gods or a ‘higher power’, atheism still does not qualify as a religion.
Atheists vary greatly in their beliefs and attitudes and it is the misconception that atheism means more than what it does is common, and very false. Using our above simplistic definition, atheism is the absence of belief of the existence of any gods. There are no unified beliefs among atheists tying them all together beyond the fact that no atheist believes in a god or gods. No further beliefs about politics, philosophy, society, social conditions, science, religion, etc. are implied. When you know someone is an atheist, all you know is that they do not profess belief in any gods.
Essentially, the difference between atheism and theism has no implicit moral or intellectual significance. The difference lies in the methodological difference between the application of skepticism, reason, and observable physical reality (science) and fantasy, intuition, and tradition in theological matters.
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