Thin Agnosticism

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In 1869, at a meeting of the Metaphysical Society in London, English biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley coined the term “agnostic” to describe those who, like himself, were neither theists nor atheists. Claiming instead intellectual ‘humility,’ Huxley claimed to know that anything unknowable to science could not bereal knowledge since it could not be empirically verified. This included the existence of God, the ultimate nature of reality, and anything immaterial.

The word “agnostic” is constructed from Greek, beginning with the “a-,” which means without or not, and gnostos or gnosis, which refers to what is known or knowledge. Huxley contrasted “agnostic” with gnostic, a word that refers to secret, mystical, or spiritual knowledge. In other words, for the agnostic, truth about life, God, and supernatural realities are unknowable.

An assumption built into the word agnostic is that the only way to know is through empirical evidence. In other words, agnosticism is a kinder and gentler version of positivism, the idea that only what is empirically verifiable or logically necessary can qualify as knowledge. Anything not empirically verifiable or logically necessary is unknowable and, according to Huxley, ultimately meaningless.

Of course, the assumption that science is the only route to real knowledge is a statement that cannot be proven scientifically. Thus, by the agnostic’s own standard, science cannot be the only way to know things because science cannot prove that science is the only way to know things. As the Greeks might say, “Oh, the irony!”

In fact, the agnostic assumption is not only incoherent; it is also false. There are other ways of knowing beyond empirical science. We know things by experience, by moral and philosophical reasoning, and by aesthetics, among others. Huxley’s agnosticism pushed much of human life and experience into the realm of the unknowable and the meaningless.

Huxley’s claim that certainty is possible only by empirical evidence also fails because science itself is subject to constant reappraisal. The scientific certainties of past eras often become the discarded theories of the next. That Huxley reserved the right to decide what qualified as knowledge undermined his claim to intellectual humility. And it is likely that he believed things not testable by empirical evidence.

In the end, agnosticism is just a lite version of atheism. While not denying the existence of God outright, agnosticism says that knowledge about God, including whether or not He exists, is impossible. It also claims, in effect, that if God does exist, He does not and cannot communicate any knowledge about Himself or the world. Not only would His existence be, for all practical purposes, irrelevant, but that’s also an awful lot of knowledge about God that agnostics claim to have. Though they also claim that knowledge about God is impossible.

Theists propose another source of knowledge: divine revelation. As Francis Schaeffer said, God is there, and He is not silent. Ironically, in the century and a half since Huxley claimed that science is the only thing that provides knowledge, it has uncovered more and more evidence of God from the world that He made. From the finely tuned molecular machines in every cell to the world seemingly built for humans, the evidence points to purpose and design in the universe. If there is design, there is a Designer.

It’s also worth noting that science itself developed out of theistic assumptions, specifically biblical teaching. If God is rational and created an orderly universe and human beings in His image, we can study the universe. Without these assumptions, there is no reason to assume the world is knowable or that humans are able to know. It is the theistic assumption, not the agnostic assumption, that grounds science. By rejecting God, scientists undercut the foundations for their work.

This just scratches the surface of why it’s reasonable to believe that God exists and has made Himself known in His Word and His world. Agnosticism is another example of how humans suppress the truth by rejecting what may be known about God. The evidence is there for those with eyes to see.

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What Do Agnostics Believe?

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tony Rowell

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.