@Paul the Human
That is why we used a more verbose definition of what we meant by "agnosticism" in our scale:
In other words, if you think there are arguments that conclusively establish the existence or non-existence of gods, you are a "gnostic".
@Caecilian
The point is, the only measure of "certainty" that appears in the scale is concerning the actual appearance of a belief. Those who are "uncertain" are Apatheists. Those who are not "uncertain" are atheists / theists. If you have a belief (or disbelief) then according to our scale, you already have a measure of certainty about that belief that distinguishes you from the apatheists. That is where we stop measuring certainty and focus on the other elements (i.e. the actual belief, and how you view the strength of the arguments for your belief).
The only separating factor between a 4 and a 5 is whether you think the non-existence of Gods can or cannot be conclusively established (note the word "conclusively", it is important here). Similarly, the only separating factor between a 1 and a 2 is whether you think the existence of Gods can or cannot be conclusively established (again, note the word "conclusively").
It's a case of "you either think the arguments conclusively establish existence (or non-existence) or you don't" in much the same way as people have argued "you either believe or you don't". I'm sorry if that forces some people together, despite the fact they may feel "more certain" in some way, but we wanted a simple scale that could classify according to actual beliefs, not the subjective certainty behind those beliefs, since everyone ultimately measures their certainty in different ways.
That is why we used a more verbose definition of what we meant by "agnosticism" in our scale:
Quote:The word "agnostic" does not refer to either the knowability of "gods" or to epistemic apathy, but rather to the questionable strength of the arguments for the existence or non-existence of "gods" (i.e., the premises and their denials are equally probable).
In other words, if you think there are arguments that conclusively establish the existence or non-existence of gods, you are a "gnostic".
@Caecilian
The point is, the only measure of "certainty" that appears in the scale is concerning the actual appearance of a belief. Those who are "uncertain" are Apatheists. Those who are not "uncertain" are atheists / theists. If you have a belief (or disbelief) then according to our scale, you already have a measure of certainty about that belief that distinguishes you from the apatheists. That is where we stop measuring certainty and focus on the other elements (i.e. the actual belief, and how you view the strength of the arguments for your belief).
The only separating factor between a 4 and a 5 is whether you think the non-existence of Gods can or cannot be conclusively established (note the word "conclusively", it is important here). Similarly, the only separating factor between a 1 and a 2 is whether you think the existence of Gods can or cannot be conclusively established (again, note the word "conclusively").
It's a case of "you either think the arguments conclusively establish existence (or non-existence) or you don't" in much the same way as people have argued "you either believe or you don't". I'm sorry if that forces some people together, despite the fact they may feel "more certain" in some way, but we wanted a simple scale that could classify according to actual beliefs, not the subjective certainty behind those beliefs, since everyone ultimately measures their certainty in different ways.
