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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Philosophy of Religion

Agnosticism

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/æɡˈnɒstɪsɪzəm/nounCommon term

In religious studies & theology, agnosticism means: The view that it is not known, or cannot be known, whether God or any ultimate reality exists.

In Turkish: agnostisizm, bilinemezcilik

How it is used

A person who holds this view is an agnostic. Philosophers stress that agnosticism is about knowledge, while theism and atheism are about belief. In religious studies, methodological agnosticism means studying religion without deciding whether its claims are true.

Example sentences

  1. T. H. Huxley coined the word 'agnostic' in 1869, and his agnosticism was widely debated.

  2. Students often confuse agnosticism with atheism, but the two answer different questions.

Common collocations

  • methodological agnosticism
  • religious agnosticism
  • agnosticism and atheism
  • atheismThe absence of belief in God or gods, or the explicit view that no God or gods exist.
  • theismBelief in a personal God who created the world and remains active in it; in philosophy of religion, the view that such a God exists.
  • religious studiesAn academic field that studies religions from the outside, using methods from history, sociology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy, without judging which beliefs are true.
  • transcendentExisting beyond the physical world and the limits of human experience and understanding; often used to describe God or ultimate reality.

More terms: Philosophy of Religion

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