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EspañolAGNOSTIC THEISM
'Agnostic theism' is the philosophical view that encompasses both theism and agnosticism. An agnostic theist is one who views that the truth value of certain claims, in particular the existence of god(s) is unknown or inherently unknowable but chooses to believe in god(s) in spite of this. There are contrasting views of the term.
Many views exist depending on how theism, agnosticism, belief, and knowledge are defined.
★ Theism is the belief that gods or deities exist, while agnosticism is the belief that the existence of gods are unknown or inherently unknowable. Belief is defined as a conviction of the truth of a proposition without necessarily any proof. Agnosticism does not violate this, and this definition of theism does not violate agnosticism, implying that it is possible to be both theist and agnostic.[1]
The classical philosophical understanding of knowledge is that knowledge is justified true belief. By this definition, it is reasonable to assert that one may hold a belief, and that belief may be true, without asserting that one knows it. Agnostic theism could be interpreted as an admission that it is not possible to justify one's belief in God or gods sufficiently for it to be considered known.
★ According to fideism this logic statement was used:
:
★ Christian theology teaches that people are saved by faith in the Christian God (i.e. trust in the empirically unprovable).
:
★ But, if the Christian God's existence can be proven, either empirically or logically, to that extent faith becomes unnecessary or irrelevant.
:
★ Therefore, if Christian theology is true, no immediate proof of the Christian God's existence is possible.
:see also Sola fide
★ According to Faith: "Faith, by its very nature, requires belief outside of known fact."
★ According to Existence of God: Agnosticism "Agnostics may or may not still believe in gods based on fideilistic convictions."
A position that would qualify as agnostic theist, would be in a temporary state of doubt. In short, a theist becomes an agnostic theist when they lose their confidence in the existence of a divinity to some degree but still choose to believe in it. Theists may admit that they experience such doubts that they do not wish to question, in which case they become an ''agnostic'' theist. If they experience something that assures them of the existence of some form of divinity, then they will no longer qualify as agnostic theists.
★ According to various theologies opposed to fideism, including other Christian views such as Catholicism, theism requires 100% belief with no doubt at all, and agnosticism is a form of doubt.
In an article on About.com: Atheism vs. Agnosticism, the author talks about the differences in meanings of agnosticism and atheism, and claims that agnosticism is compatible with both atheism and theism. In the article the author disclaims the position that agnosticism is more “reasonable” than theism because it eschews theism’s dogmatism being inaccurate.
One of the main points the author addresses is a belief he attributes to agnostics that, "If atheists are closed-minded because they are not agnostic, then so are theists."
He also discusses how atheism and theism deal with belief, agnosticism deals with knowledge. Weak agnosticism is about personally not having knowledge of god, and strong agnosticism is believing that knowledge about god is impossible. The article summarizes that since belief and knowledge are independent, it's possible to be both.
One criticism of ''agnostic theism'' is that in order to be religious, you must believe in God, whether or not you have proof. If you acknowledge you don't have proof, but you still believe in God, this is consistent with fideism. If you acknowledge you don't have proof, and you let that knowledge affect your belief, some may say that you can not really consider yourself religious.
In ''Atheism: The Case Against God'' , , George H., Smith, Prometheus Books, , ISBN 0-87975-124-X George H. Smith argues that all agnosticism is a form of atheism (defined here as "lacking a belief in a deity"). His argument against agnostic theism is that it is contradictory to state that a being is inherently or currently unknowable, and yet positively assert a belief in its existence. His argument goes:
★ "One cannot possibly know ''that'' something exists without some knowledge of ''what'' it is that exists."
★ If it is declared unknowable, the concept of "god" becomes meaningless. The agnostic theist's statement of belief therefore becomes equivalent to "a blank exists."
★
★ This unspecified belief ("I believe in 'something'") is equivalent to nonbelief ("I am not convinced by any particular religious claim"). Therefore the so-called agnostic theist is in fact an atheist (by being unable to assert a positive belief in any specific deity).
★
★ It ensues that all agnosticism is a form of atheism.
★ If the agnostic theist still wishes to believe, he must ascribe attributes of some sort to the belief. However, they would then be claiming some knowledge of their deity and are therefore no longer agnostics but are theists instead.
Smith's theory is completely dependent upon his use of a very mild definition of atheism, that being a lack of a belief in a deity. When the stronger definition of atheism is used, a belief in the nonexistence of God, his argument collapses. Therefore it follows that agnostic theism is logically similar to lacking a belief in a deity, but logically distinguishable from belief in the nonexistence of God.
★ Belief
★ Deism
★ Doubt: Philosophy and ethics
★ Epistemology: Belief
★ Faith
★ Fideism
★ Knowledge
★ Pascal's wager
★ Sola fide
★ Truth
1. http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/theism.htm
★ Epistemology - from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
★ Agnosticism - from ReligiousTolerance.org
★ An Introduction to Atheism (1997) - from Infidels.org
★ More on Huxley and the Definition of Agnosticism - from Infidels.org
★ AGNOSTICISM - from Dictionary of the History of Ideas
★ Agnosticism - The Basics - from Spiral Nature
Views of agnostic theism
Many views exist depending on how theism, agnosticism, belief, and knowledge are defined.
Theism as belief in God or gods, agnosticism as don't/can't know
Agnostic theism is Belief but without Knowledge, as shown in purple and blue(see: Epistemology).
★ Theism is the belief that gods or deities exist, while agnosticism is the belief that the existence of gods are unknown or inherently unknowable. Belief is defined as a conviction of the truth of a proposition without necessarily any proof. Agnosticism does not violate this, and this definition of theism does not violate agnosticism, implying that it is possible to be both theist and agnostic.[1]
The classical philosophical understanding of knowledge is that knowledge is justified true belief. By this definition, it is reasonable to assert that one may hold a belief, and that belief may be true, without asserting that one knows it. Agnostic theism could be interpreted as an admission that it is not possible to justify one's belief in God or gods sufficiently for it to be considered known.
★ According to fideism this logic statement was used:
:
★ Christian theology teaches that people are saved by faith in the Christian God (i.e. trust in the empirically unprovable).
:
★ But, if the Christian God's existence can be proven, either empirically or logically, to that extent faith becomes unnecessary or irrelevant.
:
★ Therefore, if Christian theology is true, no immediate proof of the Christian God's existence is possible.
:see also Sola fide
★ According to Faith: "Faith, by its very nature, requires belief outside of known fact."
★ According to Existence of God: Agnosticism "Agnostics may or may not still believe in gods based on fideilistic convictions."
Theism as belief, Agnosticism as doubt of god(s)
Agnostic theist
A position that would qualify as agnostic theist, would be in a temporary state of doubt. In short, a theist becomes an agnostic theist when they lose their confidence in the existence of a divinity to some degree but still choose to believe in it. Theists may admit that they experience such doubts that they do not wish to question, in which case they become an ''agnostic'' theist. If they experience something that assures them of the existence of some form of divinity, then they will no longer qualify as agnostic theists.
Theism as belief in knowing of God or gods, Agnosticism as doubt of God
★ According to various theologies opposed to fideism, including other Christian views such as Catholicism, theism requires 100% belief with no doubt at all, and agnosticism is a form of doubt.
Atheism vs. Agnosticism
In an article on About.com: Atheism vs. Agnosticism, the author talks about the differences in meanings of agnosticism and atheism, and claims that agnosticism is compatible with both atheism and theism. In the article the author disclaims the position that agnosticism is more “reasonable” than theism because it eschews theism’s dogmatism being inaccurate.
One of the main points the author addresses is a belief he attributes to agnostics that, "If atheists are closed-minded because they are not agnostic, then so are theists."
He also discusses how atheism and theism deal with belief, agnosticism deals with knowledge. Weak agnosticism is about personally not having knowledge of god, and strong agnosticism is believing that knowledge about god is impossible. The article summarizes that since belief and knowledge are independent, it's possible to be both.
Problems and criticism
One criticism of ''agnostic theism'' is that in order to be religious, you must believe in God, whether or not you have proof. If you acknowledge you don't have proof, but you still believe in God, this is consistent with fideism. If you acknowledge you don't have proof, and you let that knowledge affect your belief, some may say that you can not really consider yourself religious.
George H. Smith's criticism
In ''Atheism: The Case Against God'' , , George H., Smith, Prometheus Books, , ISBN 0-87975-124-X George H. Smith argues that all agnosticism is a form of atheism (defined here as "lacking a belief in a deity"). His argument against agnostic theism is that it is contradictory to state that a being is inherently or currently unknowable, and yet positively assert a belief in its existence. His argument goes:
★ "One cannot possibly know ''that'' something exists without some knowledge of ''what'' it is that exists."
★ If it is declared unknowable, the concept of "god" becomes meaningless. The agnostic theist's statement of belief therefore becomes equivalent to "a blank exists."
★
★ This unspecified belief ("I believe in 'something'") is equivalent to nonbelief ("I am not convinced by any particular religious claim"). Therefore the so-called agnostic theist is in fact an atheist (by being unable to assert a positive belief in any specific deity).
★
★ It ensues that all agnosticism is a form of atheism.
★ If the agnostic theist still wishes to believe, he must ascribe attributes of some sort to the belief. However, they would then be claiming some knowledge of their deity and are therefore no longer agnostics but are theists instead.
Smith's theory is completely dependent upon his use of a very mild definition of atheism, that being a lack of a belief in a deity. When the stronger definition of atheism is used, a belief in the nonexistence of God, his argument collapses. Therefore it follows that agnostic theism is logically similar to lacking a belief in a deity, but logically distinguishable from belief in the nonexistence of God.
See also
★ Belief
★ Deism
★ Doubt: Philosophy and ethics
★ Epistemology: Belief
★ Faith
★ Fideism
★ Knowledge
★ Pascal's wager
★ Sola fide
★ Truth
References
1. http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/theism.htm
External links
★ Epistemology - from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
★ Agnosticism - from ReligiousTolerance.org
★ An Introduction to Atheism (1997) - from Infidels.org
★ More on Huxley and the Definition of Agnosticism - from Infidels.org
★ AGNOSTICISM - from Dictionary of the History of Ideas
★ Agnosticism - The Basics - from Spiral Nature
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