RE: Can Someone be Simply "An Agnostic?"
June 20, 2014 at 7:49 pm
(This post was last modified: June 20, 2014 at 7:51 pm by Whateverist.)
(June 20, 2014 at 8:10 am)archangle Wrote: agnostic just mean that when a person makes a claim they want to see the evidence of that claim. Then, based on that evidence they can assign a "certainty" value to it.
I would say agnosticism is the position that there isn't enough information available to know for certain what is so regarding what is being discussed. If what is being discussed is a belief you already hold, then your recognition of your lack of evidence is no reason to abandon that belief. If what is being discussed is a belief which you do not already hold, then a lack of evidence is reason enough not to ignore it.
(June 20, 2014 at 8:10 am)archangle Wrote: "this type of god only" claim: Very low probability.
"There is no nothing" Claim: Very low probability.
I have to wonder what you mean by "There is no nothing". I'm not aware of any atheists who are solipsistic nihilists regarding absolutely everything.
I guess what you might mean is that regarding the question of a 'greater power' or 'higher consciousness' or a 'grand design' atheists are wed to the view that there is nothing beyond what science can ascertain. But that too is not a necessary position for any atheist. Whether or not there is intentionality beyond that of a particular organism is open for debate, but is of no concern to me. If this higher whatever is powerful enough, it requires nothing of me. If it isn't, then it may or may not achieve its ends and I'm in no way disappointed since I'm not privy to them.