Why I'm Not an Atheist: The Case for Agnosticism

[gcomeau]

56. No, it's the rational view

There is no logical space between atheism and theism for a third category to occupy. So claiming that agnosticism occupies a space that does not exist is irrational. That has nothing to do with "narrow views" or open mindedness.


Atheism and theism are about whether you do or do not possess a belief in the existence of a deity. That is a BINARY solution set. You do... or you don't. You are one... or the other. That's it. Period. "I dunno" is not an answer to that question, it's a delaying tactic to avoid answering it. You're not being asked if a god exists, you're being asked if the belief that one does currently resides in your skull. And yeah, you DO know that... (or if you don't you require psychiatric help.)

Agnosticism is a completely different issue, dealing with the nature of your beliefs about the concept of a deity that is totally and utterly independent of whether you believe it exists or not.

Saying "I'm not an atheist (or theist), I'm an agnostic" makes exactly as much sense as saying "I'm not an atheist (or theist) I'm a ballerina!"

You can be a ballerina... you can be an agnostic,.. but you're still either a theist or an atheist. You still either do or you do not possess a belief in the existence of a deity. And that's all there is to it.