Agnosticism is the doctrine that the existence of God and other spiritual beings is neither certain or impossible.
In 1869 the British scientist, humanist and prominent champion of evolution, Thomas Huxley coined the word "agnosticism" from the Greek "agnostos" meaning "unknowable" to express his own religious attitude. He was alluding to the biblical verse in Acts 17 v 23 that talks about the unknown God that St Paul found on an altar in Athens. This term is used to describe those who don’t believe in God but are open to the possibility he might exist, in other words the floating voters of faith.
The term "Agnostic" was coined in 1869 by Thomas Huxley not as a description, but as a creed: "to follow reason as far as it can take you, but then, when you have established as much as you can, frankly and honestly to recognize the limits of your knowledge."
The agnostic position is distinct from both theism, which affirms the existence of a Supreme Being or deities, and atheism, which denies their existence.
The basis of modern agnosticism lies in the works of the British philosopher David Hume and the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, both of whom pointed out logical fallacies in the traditional arguments for the existence of God and of the soul.
Though Charles Darwin recalled that "Whilst on board the Beagle I was quite orthodox" he later struggled with faith and became increasingly agnostic, particularly after the death of his daughter Anne. In 1879 he wrote that "I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. – I think that generally ... an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind."
The American Episcopal Bishop and the writer of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" Phillips Brooks was recovering from a life-threatening illness. He refused to receive any visitors until his agnostic friend Bob Ingersoll arrived. The freethinking humanist Ingersoll was curious to know the reason Brooks wished to see him rather than his Christian friends. The explanation was that Brooks was assured of seeing his other friends in the next life but not the agnostic Ingersoll.
The British prime minister Clement Attlee was regarded as an agnostic. In an interview he described himself as "incapable of religious feeling", saying that he believed in "the ethics of Christianity" but not "the mumbo-jumbo". When asked whether he was an agnostic, Attlee replied "I don't know."
Source Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia
In 1869 the British scientist, humanist and prominent champion of evolution, Thomas Huxley coined the word "agnosticism" from the Greek "agnostos" meaning "unknowable" to express his own religious attitude. He was alluding to the biblical verse in Acts 17 v 23 that talks about the unknown God that St Paul found on an altar in Athens. This term is used to describe those who don’t believe in God but are open to the possibility he might exist, in other words the floating voters of faith.
 |
| Thomas Huxley |
The term "Agnostic" was coined in 1869 by Thomas Huxley not as a description, but as a creed: "to follow reason as far as it can take you, but then, when you have established as much as you can, frankly and honestly to recognize the limits of your knowledge."
The agnostic position is distinct from both theism, which affirms the existence of a Supreme Being or deities, and atheism, which denies their existence.
The basis of modern agnosticism lies in the works of the British philosopher David Hume and the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, both of whom pointed out logical fallacies in the traditional arguments for the existence of God and of the soul.
Though Charles Darwin recalled that "Whilst on board the Beagle I was quite orthodox" he later struggled with faith and became increasingly agnostic, particularly after the death of his daughter Anne. In 1879 he wrote that "I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. – I think that generally ... an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind."
The American Episcopal Bishop and the writer of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" Phillips Brooks was recovering from a life-threatening illness. He refused to receive any visitors until his agnostic friend Bob Ingersoll arrived. The freethinking humanist Ingersoll was curious to know the reason Brooks wished to see him rather than his Christian friends. The explanation was that Brooks was assured of seeing his other friends in the next life but not the agnostic Ingersoll.
 |
| Phillips Brooks |
The British prime minister Clement Attlee was regarded as an agnostic. In an interview he described himself as "incapable of religious feeling", saying that he believed in "the ethics of Christianity" but not "the mumbo-jumbo". When asked whether he was an agnostic, Attlee replied "I don't know."
Source Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia
No comments:
Post a Comment