Can we really know anything beyond the door of the material universe?
The Impossibility of Agnosticism By Leith Samuel
Professor T. H. Huxley introduced the word “agnostic” to members of the now defunct Metaphysical So ciety in 1869. Writing afterw ards he said, “When I reached intellectual ma turity and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist or a pantheist; a materialist or an idealist; a Christian or a freethink er, I found that the more I learned and reflected the less ready was the answer, until at last I came to the conclusion that I had no part with any of these denominations except the last. Most of these good people . . . were quite sure that they had attained a certain ‘gnosis’ — had, more or less successfully solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure that I had not and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble. “Most of my colleagues in the Metaphysical Society were —ists of one sort or another . . . so I took thought and invented what I con ceived to be the appropriate title of ‘agnostic.’ It came into my head as
suggestively antithetic to the ‘gnos tic’ of church history, who professed to know so much about the very things of which I was ignorant; and I took the earliest opportunity of parading it at our society. To my great satisfaction, the term took.” An up-to-date edition of a stand ard dictionary defines an agnostic as “one who denies that we can know the absolute or infinite, or prove or disprove anything beyond the material phenomena of the uni verse, though such may exist.” Ag nosticism is defined as “the doctrine of the agnostic.” It doesn’t require much discem- A b o u t t h e A u t h o r Leith Samuel is the son of a Jewish convert to Christianity. He is a widely-known writer and speaker in England and has conducted many preaching missions on college campuses in the United States and Canada, th is article is copyrighted by Inter-Varsity Chris tian Fellowship and reprinted by permission. Available in booklet form (10c) from 1519 N. Astor, Chicago 10.
ment to observe at least three dis tinct categories or groups of agnos tics. First there’s the indifferent agnostic. He is characterized by contented, almost defiant, ignorance and expresses it in such phrases as, “I don’t know, and quite f r a n k ly I couldn’t care less. I’m perfectly happy as I am, and have no time for people who want to interfere with other people’s pleasures.” But his preoccupation can scarcely be interpreted as a denial of the ex istence or validity of facts which he has not investigated personally. Then there’s the dissatisfied ag nostic. This man is ignorant, and the more intellectual he is, the more disturbed he is at his ignorance. No other branch of knowledge has eluded him like this. In discussion with one who professes to know, he says, “I don’t know, but I’m will ing to investigate . . . . I haven’t a clue. Have you?” While he makes strenuous efforts now and then to forget life’s enigmas, he really wants an answer to such questions as “Why are we here?,” “Where do
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The King's Business
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