What is an Agnostic?

The Basics of Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the belief that the existence of God cannot be known. The term was first used in the late 19th century by Thomas Henry Huxley, who was an English biologist and philosopher. Agnostics assert that it is impossible to truly know whether or not any kind of deity, higher power, or ultimate truth exists. Many agnostics take an agnostic attitude even when it comes to other supernatural phenomena. Agnosticism is thus not necessarily the same as atheism or theism, which are direct statements that there is no god or that there is one, respectively.

Agnosticism generally holds that it is impossible to know with any certainty whether a god exists or not. Given the lack of objective, verifiable evidence, agnostics take the view that belief in a god or gods is not warranted. A common analogy used to illustrate this view is that an agnostic’s belief in God is like a jury’s verdict in a courtroom; an agnostic does not possess enough evidence to make an informed judgment either way.

Agnostics may also be found throughout many other philosophical and religious movements. For instance, agnostics may find correlation with Mahayana Buddhism, which postulates that ultimate truth lies beyond our capacity to know. Similarly, Neo-Platonists, who were a significant influential school of thought during the Roman Empire, sought to reconcile the duality of a belief in a higher being with a skepticism of believing only in what can be perceived by the senses.

The Different Types of Agnosticism
Agnosticism is a spectrum, rather than a single point on the scale of belief. There are three types of agnosticism, each representing a different degree of skepticism.

Weak Agnosticism: This relates to the idea that, while the existence of a god is unknown, it is still possible to have faith in a higher power. Weak agnostics do not rule out the possibility of an afterlife, but acknowledge that any beliefs on the matter are based on faith and not on any concrete evidence.

Strong Agnosticism: This relates to the idea that there is no evidence for or against the existence of a god, and that any conclusion about the nature of God’s existence is pure speculation. Strong agnostics hold that any aspect of the universe or reality beyond our physical understanding is filled with mystery and remains unprovable.

Apathetic Agnosticism: This relates to a lack of interest or passion in the concept of a higher power. Apathetic agnostics simply do not care about whether or not there is a god, or about any other supernatural occurrences for that matter.

Conclusion
Agnosticism is a belief system that maintains the existence of a god (or gods) is unknown, and that it is impossible to determine the answer with any certainty. Agnosticism is a spectrum, ranging from weak agnosticism to strong agnosticism to apathetic agnosticism. While some agnostics may find connection with other religions and philosophical schools of thought, there are elements of faith or skepticism inherent to each type of agnosticism. Ultimately, agnosticism holds that conclusive evidence for or against the existence of a deity is unattainable.