Agnosticism

Agnosticism, doctrine that the existence of God and other spiritual beings is neither certain nor impossible. The term, derived from the Greek agnostikos (“not knowing”), was introduced into English in the 19th century by the British biologist Thomas Henry Huxley. The agnostic position is distinct from both theism, which affirms the existence of such beings, and atheism, which denies their existence.

Although usually regarded as a form of scepticism, agnosticism is more limited in scope, for it denies the reliability only of metaphysical and theological beliefs rather than of all beliefs. The basis of modern agnosticism lies in the works of the Scottish philosopher David Hume and the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, both of whom pointed out logical fallacies in the traditional arguments for the existence of God and of the soul. Like agnosticism, logical positivism rejects both atheism and theism, and maintains that metaphysical statements are meaningless.