Explain the difference between agnosticism and atheism
- Created by: blombus
- Created on: 13-04-21 11:46
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- Explain the difference between agnosticism and atheism
- Explaining agnosticism
- From the Greek for "without knowledge"
- Often described as the suspension of a decision
- Introduction
- Agnosticism is sometimes presented as being a branch of atheism
- Misrepresents both atheistic and agnostic arguments
- Similarity in their positions doesn't mean their reasoning is the same, or even similar
- There are important differences between agnosticism and atheism
- But they aren't necessarily clear at first glance
- Conclusion
- Both have various forms
- Differences don't necessary lie in their positions om the Existence of G-d
- More about the nature of their claims
- Differences in the attitude to knowledge
- Explaining atheism
- Belief that there isn't a G-d
- Takes various forms, with varying degrees of certainty
- Anthony Flew in 'The Presumption of Atheism' (1972)
- Negative, or weak, atheism
- Positive, or strong, atheism
- Long history, term sometimes ambiguous
- Historical agnostics labelled as atheists and vice versa
- Claims about knowledge
- Most academic approaches to agnosticism are about the nature of knowledge and religious language
- Not just "we don't know", but we can't
- Strong agnosticism
- The existence of religious beings is ultimately unknowable
- Atheism approaches it more on an evidential basis
- Works on a scientific model
- If there is nothing you believe to be evidence then you must reject the claim or theory
- Most academic approaches to agnosticism are about the nature of knowledge and religious language
- Explaining agnosticism
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