Meaning of agnostic (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Agnostic:

As an agnostic we define what belongs or is related to agnosticism, that is, the philosophical attitude according to which all knowledge about the divine or about what transcends our earthly experience is inaccessible to human understanding. One who professes agnosticism is also considered an agnostic. The word as such is derived from the Greek word vocaγνωστος (ágnostos), which means 'unknown', 'not known'.

For the followers of agnostic thought, it is useless to consider issues of a philosophical nature that are linked to intangible realities, which are beyond our understanding, since human reason, according to them, is not capable of accessing a certain knowledge of the essence of God or rationally substantiate their existence.

If you wish, you can also consult our article on Gnosis.

Agnostic and atheist

Between being an agnostic and being an atheist there is a fundamental difference related to the understanding that one has and the other about the nature of the divinity: the agnostic, despite not being able to affirm the existence of God, considers that this knowledge escapes him in essence, so neither can he deny it; the atheist, on the other hand, flatly denies the existence of God and of any form of divinity or superior entity that transcends matter.

Theistic and atheistic agnostic

The agnostic can be theistic or atheistic. In this sense, the theist is one who, despite not having the level of understanding that would allow him to prove that God exists, believes in his existence or admits the possibility that he may exist. Instead, the atheistic agnostic is one who, while also acknowledging that he has no knowledge whatsoever to prove the non-existence of God, is skeptical of the possibility of his existence and rejects it.

Agnostic and gnostic

Agnostic and gnostic are opposite sides of a coin. While the Gnostic, a follower of Gnosticism, considers that a knowledge of divine things can be accessed through intuition, the agnostic is rather incredulous in this regard, although he is aware that his ability to understand the divine does not necessarily imply its non-existence.