agnosticism
Agnosticism is a stance that withholds both affirmation and denial about God's existence, or that treats knowledge of God as beyond reach; it is distinct from atheism.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Definitions
- A philosophical position that suspends judgment on the existence of God (or gods), holding that available means of knowledge neither prove nor disprove that claim.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In academic discussion: a doctrine that the existence of a personal Deity, or of an invisible world beyond phenomena, cannot be demonstrated or refuted within the limits of the human mind.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In public debate: a shorthand for someone who takes neither faith nor unbelief as settled, or who refuses certainty on ultimate questions; the scope is often blurred.
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Examples
- The seminar contrasted agnosticism with atheism in order to separate suspension of judgment from denial that God exists.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - The essay tracks how nineteenth-century agnosticism joined criticism of dogma with a refusal to assert what lies beyond phenomena.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In the column the word agnosticism stood for "I do not know and I do not decide" rather than for a precise epistemological doctrine.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - The student compared agnosticism with theism and deism, asking where religious certainty ends and suspension of judgment begins.
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Usage
Everyday talk often treats agnosticism as religious hesitation, ignorance in matters of faith, or a blunt opposite of dogmatism. Scholarly writing gains clarity when it splits three layers: suspension of judgment about God, a thesis about mental limits toward invisible objects, and a label for someone undeclared for or against deity. Political rhetoric is loose: the name can signal caution or charge indecision. State whether you mean a doctrine, a personal stance, or an argumentative move. Without that frame the name collapses into atheism, skepticism or ordinary critique of institutions.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Webster 1913 opens Agnostic from Greek a- privative plus a stem of knowing: as an adjective it means professing ignorance; as a noun it names an adherent who neither affirms nor denies a personal Deity, knowledge limited to phenomena. Agnosticism there withholds assertion and denial; the theological sense says proof and disproof of a personal Deity both fail. Skeat 1910 lists AGNOSTIC as first used in 1869 (N.E.D.), from Greek a- and Gnostic; under GNOSTIC he traces γνωστικός from γνωστός / γνωτός and γνῶναι.
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Editorial team; facts: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913; W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 1910, open sourceCommon pairings include philosophical agnosticism, religious agnosticism, critique of agnosticism, tradition of agnosticism, and debate over agnosticism. Agnostic as a noun names someone who holds the stance; agnostic as an adjective and agnostical are the usual related forms. Careful usage keeps the lemma apart from atheism: atheism typically denies or lacks belief in deity, while agnosticism withholds judgment and stresses limits of knowledge. Writers still place those borders in different places.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Morphologically the noun joins Greek a- (negation) and the Gnostic / gnostos family to the suffix -ism. Webster already lists Agnostic and Agnosticism as headwords; Skeat marks AGNOSTIC with first use 1869. Our senses rest on those public-domain facts plus editorial wording, not on a modern encyclopaedia paraphrase.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Word forms
Regular English noun, usually uncountable; the plural agnosticisms is rare and refers to different kinds or national versions of the stance.
word forms
| przypadek | forma |
|---|---|
| singular | agnosticism |
| plural | agnosticisms |
Word forms: Editorial team
Collocations
- philosophical agnosticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - religious agnosticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - critique of agnosticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - tradition of agnosticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - debate over agnosticism
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Synonyms · Antonyms
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Etymology
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourcealso
W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open sourceRelated words
- agnostic , noun/adjective: person or stance of professed ignorance about a personal Deity (Webster 1913 Agnostic)
- gnostic , etymologically related noun/adjective: from Greek γνωστικός (Skeat 1910 GNOSTIC; base of AGNOSTIC)
- atheism , related noun (contrastive): denial or lack of belief in deity, not mere suspension of judgment
- theism , related noun (contrastive): affirmation that God exists
- skepticism , related noun (contrastive; use with care): doubt or suspended assent, not identical with agnosticism about God
- agnostycyzm , etymologically related Polish noun
Related entries
The same entry in Polish: agnostycyzm
Questions and answers
What does agnosticism mean?
In philosophy it names suspension of judgment about God's existence, claiming available knowledge neither proves nor disproves that claim. A narrower register covers the doctrine that a personal Deity cannot be demonstrated or refuted within human limits. Outside the academy it can mean neither faith nor unbelief, or refusal of certainty on ultimate questions. Scope depends on register.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Where does the word agnosticism come from?
The root is Greek a- (negation) joined to the Gnostic / gnostos family, plus the suffix -ism. Skeat 1910 derives AGNOSTIC from a- and Gnostic and notes first use in 1869 (N.E.D.). Webster 1913 opens Agnostic and Agnosticism as professed ignorance that neither affirms nor denies a personal Deity. The English lemma entered modern usage along that Greek path.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourceHow is agnosticism inflected in English?
As a regular English noun it is usually uncountable. A plural agnosticisms shows up only when writers separate national or doctrinal strands. Nearby forms include agnostic, gnostic, atheism, theism and Polish agnostycyzm (Webster 1913; Skeat 1910).
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)How is agnosticism different from atheism?
They do not always match. Agnosticism usually withholds judgment about God and stresses limits of knowledge; Webster 1913 stresses neither asserting nor denying a personal Deity. Atheism in this service means lack of belief or denial that deity exists. Everyday speech often blurs the two labels.