Strong agnosticism
Encyclopedia
Strong agnosticism or positive agnosticism is the belief
that it is impossible for human
s to know
whether or not any deities
exist. It is a narrower view than weak agnosticism
, which states that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is unknown but not necessarily unknowable.
Strong agnosticism is usually justified on the epistemological grounds that humans can only experience the natural world and thus cannot know about anything which may exist outside it, including deities. One criticism is that this justification is only valid if deities are viewed as exclusively supernatural
beings. The agnostic reply is, as the natural world can be explained by science, the defining feature of any deity must be supernatural.
Since strong agnosticism concerns knowledge and not necessarily belief (depending on how "belief" and "knowledge" are defined), it may be reconciled with theism
(as in fideism
) or weak atheism (as in agnostic atheism
). However, it cannot be reconciled with strong atheism
, as strong atheism makes a positive assertion that God does not exist, without the possibility that God may exist and just be unknowable.
The viewpoint has also been described in a semi-humorous fashion as "militant agnosticism", with the tagline "I don't know and you don't either".
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
that it is impossible for human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s to know
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...
whether or not any deities
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
exist. It is a narrower view than weak agnosticism
Weak agnosticism
Weak agnosticism is the assertion that, at present, there is not enough information to know whether any deities exist, but that such might become knowable. It is in contrast to strong agnosticism, which is the belief that the existence of any gods is completely unknowable to humanity...
, which states that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is unknown but not necessarily unknowable.
Strong agnosticism is usually justified on the epistemological grounds that humans can only experience the natural world and thus cannot know about anything which may exist outside it, including deities. One criticism is that this justification is only valid if deities are viewed as exclusively supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
beings. The agnostic reply is, as the natural world can be explained by science, the defining feature of any deity must be supernatural.
Since strong agnosticism concerns knowledge and not necessarily belief (depending on how "belief" and "knowledge" are defined), it may be reconciled with theism
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
(as in fideism
Fideism
Fideism is an epistemological theory which maintains that faith is independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths...
) or weak atheism (as in agnostic atheism
Agnostic atheism
Agnostic atheism, also called atheistic agnosticism, is a philosophical position that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not hold a belief in the existence of any deity and agnostic because they claim that the existence of a deity is either...
). However, it cannot be reconciled with strong atheism
Strong atheism
Positive atheism is a term popularly used to describe the form of atheism that maintains that "There is no god" is a true statement. Negative atheism refers to any other type of non-theism, wherein a person does not believe in the existence of any deity, but does not explicitly claim that the...
, as strong atheism makes a positive assertion that God does not exist, without the possibility that God may exist and just be unknowable.
The viewpoint has also been described in a semi-humorous fashion as "militant agnosticism", with the tagline "I don't know and you don't either".