Difference Between Atheist and Agnostic

Difference Between Atheist and Agnostic

Usually, many people think that the terms atheist and agnostic are the same. But, They are completely different concepts. that should not be confused. In short, an atheist person is one who denies the existence of God. On the other hand, the agnostic person is one who does not deny the existence of God, but does not need proof.

If you want to know more, here we are going to explain in more depth the difference between atheist and agnostic and its origin.

There are many types of irreligions

So much atheism and agnosticism are included in the concept of irreligion. Irreligion is based on the fact of not practicing, or following, an organized religion such as Christianity. Within irreligion are atheism, agnosticism, non-believers, deism, religious skepticism, and free thought. Being within this group does not mean that one does not properly believe in a divinity such as a single God or several gods.

As data, the five countries with the highest percentage of irreligious people, in order from largest to smallest, are: Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Estonia, Japan and Sweden.

What is atheism?

The atheist denies the existence of God

El atheism in the broadest sense is disbelief in the existence of God. In the most severe sense, it is a rejection of all belief in the existence of a god or gods.
The atheist person specifically holds that there is no divinity such as a god or gods, he opposes theism. Theism is the most common form of belief that there is at least one God.

According to the RAE atheist is defined as:

from lat. athĕus, and this from gr. ἄθεος átheos.
1. adj. Who does not believe in the existence of God or denies it. Appl. to custom, utcs
2. adj. That implies or entails atheism. An atheist rationalism.

That term of atheism it was used in the derogatory sense to refer to those who rejected the deities worshiped by society. With the advent and spread of free thought, scientific skepticism and subsequent criticism of religion reduced the scope of the term.
The illustration, in the seventeenth century, brought with it a great revolution. arose the first people to identify with the term atheist. In fact the French Revolution was known for its unprecedented atheism, let's say it was the first great political movement in history that advocated the supremacy of human reason.

The arguments in favor of atheism range from philosophical aspects to social and historical perspectives. The reasons for not believing in a god or gods mainly include the following arguments:

  • Lack of empirical evidence. If it can't be scientifically proven, these people don't believe.
  • problems with evil. also known as the Epicurus Paradox, in a simplified way, refers to the fact that if God exists because evil exists, therefore, it does not exist.
  • Inconsistent disclosure arguments. it is also known as the problem to recognize a true religion. It is based on the fact that there is no real figure assigned to a god or gods, and on the contradiction between some religions and others.
  • Rejection of the notion of infalsifiability. It is the foundation of any scientific thesis. According to falsificationism, every valid scientific proposition must be capable of being falsified or refuted. One of its main implications is that experimental confirmation of a scientifically "proven" theory, even the most basic of them, is always subject to scrutiny.
  • Arguments for disbelief. This is a philosophical argument against the existence of God, especially the god of theists. The premise of the argument is that if God existed (and wanted humans to know about it), he would create a situation in which any rational person would believe in him. However, there are also rational people who do not believe in God, which is contrary to the existence of God. It is similar to the problem of evil.
  • Others.

How many atheists are there in the world?

Accurately estimating how many atheists there are in the world is a complex task because the concept of atheism varies. In 2007, it was estimated that a 2.7% of the total population they were atheists. While some atheists have adopted secular philosophies (such as humanism and skepticism), there is no single ideology or code of conduct that all atheists adhere to. Many of them believe that atheism is a narrower worldview than theism, so the burden of proof does not fall on those who do not believe in the existence of God, but on believers who must defend their theism.

What is agnosticism?

Agnostic, and the existence of God

An agnostic is one person who neither believes nor disbelieves in the existence of God, while theists and atheists believe and do not believe, respectively. This term was coined by the famous biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, in 1869. This position holds that the truth of certain statements, specifically those that refer to the existence or non-existence of God, as well as other religious and metaphysical statements, is:

  • Unknown. This current is called moderate agnosticism.
  • inherently unknowable. And this as radical agnosticism.

According to the RAE agnostic is defined as:

of gr. ἄγνωστος ágnōstos 'unknown' and ‒́ic.

1. adj. Phil. Of or relating to agnosticism.

2. adj. Phil. Who professes agnosticism. Appl. to custom, utcs

An agnostic claims that he does not have an opinion about the existence of God because he believes that there is no clear evidence for or against it.. However, there are different types of agnostics:

  • agnostic atheism. He doesn't believe in the existence of any god, but he doesn't claim to know that gods exist or not.
  • agnostic theism. He does not pretend to know the existence of God, but he still believes in it.
  • apathetic or pragmatic agnostic. There is no evidence for the existence or non-existence of any god, but since any god that may exist seems to be indifferent to the welfare of the universe or its inhabitants. Its existence has little or no impact on human affairs and should be of equal theological importance.
  • Astrict gnostic. As by our nature we are not intrinsically able to verify the existence of a god or gods, except with subjective experience, they doubt its existence because no one can prove it.
  • open agnostic. They believe that the existence of a god or gods cannot yet be proven, but they do not rule out that it could be proven later.

If you want to know more about agnosticism we leave you this link.

I hope that if you had any questions regarding the difference between atheist and agnostic, this text has resolved them.


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