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What is agnosticism? Is it a belief, or merely the absence of belief? Is it the result of too little thought about an issue--or too much? Who were the first to call themselves "agnostics"? Does agnosticism deserve serious consideration today? Can an agnostic live a religious life? What place should agnosticism have in education? These are just some of the questions that Robin Le Poidevin considers in this Very Short Introduction, as he sets the philosophical case for agnosticism and explores it as a historical and cultural phenomenon. Agnosticism emerges here as a much more sophisticated, and much more interesting, attitude than a simple failure to either commit to, or reject, religious belief. Le Poidevin challenges the common wisdom about agnosticism among both believers and atheists, and invites the reader to rethink their own position on the issues. Indeed, in arguing in favor of agnosticism as a respectable position to take, this stimulating and provocative guide takes issue on many points with the assertions of prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins. ... Read more

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In this selection of his most important writings, renowned scientist and philosopher Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) discusses his views on the demonstrative evidence of evolution, the physical basis of life, naturalism and supernaturalism, agnosticism and Christianity, and the Christian tradition in relation to Judaic Christianity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Science versus Faith: The Eternal Paradox
One of the paradoxes in the life of Thomas Henry Huxley was his ability to demand that science and reason must be uppermost in ordering and bettering the lot of man yet at the same time he could leave an opening for faith and hope, the same qualities that he bashed in the hands of others.

In "The Method of Scientific Investigation," Huxley outlines with infinite precision the requirements for scientists to present a hypothesis and then establish a series of interlocking steps the totality of which prove that the hypothesis is sound.He attacks the misconception that men of science are somehow detached from the lot of common man in their respective thought processes.While the learned scientist uses fancy terms like inductive and deductive reasoning, which the layman may term common sense, both engage in basically the same acts of reasoning.Further, while the layman may draw an inference from a limited pool of evidence whereas the scientist requires a much larger sample size, there is no inherent incongruity between the two.

Early in his career, Huxley tended to focus on the value of the physical sciences.The notion of a more subliminal sense of man in harmony with nature had not yet been central in his thought.In "On the Physical Basis of Life," Huxley reduces all living matter on earth to its constituent parts of protoplasm.Regardless of species, all life shared a common link.Even here, however, Huxley was beginning to generate the controversy that would later rise to a vicious crescendo.There were many who objected to being linked to a lowly crustacean.Even otherwise learned men of science had a difficult time assimilating such an ego-shattering notion.

The concept of a paradoxical melding of science to faith appears initially in "A Liberal Education."Here, Huxley insists that brute nature is the best teacher for all areas of life.Regardless of the discipline involved, Nature teaches faster and more effectively than a phalanx of human professors might.Punishment and reward are meted out with devastating finality and with no verbal comment.When Huxley writes that it is possible to mitigate the harshness of the lessons that a brute Nature might impose, the result would be one who has become one with that Nature.Huxley is skimpy on the details of this transformation possibly because he was thinking of a theoretical paradigm that had no counterpart in reality.Further, to produce a man who is the product of a Darwinian weeding out of those who can pass Nature's unbending rules of conduct from those who cannot might also produce an automaton that is no less than robot-like in its world view.Huxley had been hammered numerous times on this very point by those who wished to discredit his position on the supremacy of reason so it is likely that he would toss in a deliberately ill-defined bone of contention to produce a nineteenth century Renaissance man that all could look to with approval.

Huxley's mixture of science and humanity is seen again in "Science and Culture."The contrast between the two is stark.Huxley praises the virtues of the Josiah Mason School of Science as the very breeding ground for the qualities needed to assure the continuing pre-eminence of England at a time when it might have been forgivable to see the sun set on the Union Jack.This Huxley was determined to prevent.His opposition was less the theological barbs of the Church of England than the entrenched Latinate culture of the post-Renaissance.Even in Huxley's day, much of England's learned elite he saw as mired in the obsolete erudition of the Roman focus on art and literature.To be erudite was to know more of Cicero than Archimedes.If England were to remain competitive as a world power, Cicero would have to take a back seat to the Greek mathematician.Yet, as in "A Liberal Education," Huxley could not irrevocably extirpate the entire continuum of classic education of the liberal arts.He closes with the paradoxical comment that somewhere in science there must be a place for liberals like Cicero.

Thus, for Huxley, the notion of a paradox remains just that.It was truly impossible for him to rationalize to any degree of convincing certitude that though reason and pure logic must be in the ascendant, there could yet be a place in science, in industry, and in life for those with a literary bent.He did not resolve this dilemma but his insistence on the power of science to better the common lot of man rings as true today as in his time.

Classic Insights, Ponderously Written
There are a few gems of agnostic wisdom in this book, which concisely state Huxley's case for affirming his agnostic views - that he is without full or final proof or substantiation of the Bible, or of Jesus.For this, the book needs to be read and commended.One could only wish, however, that Huxley spared the ponderously ornate style of English prose that was the habit of the day.This is a good read, but not always an easy read, and certainly if it has engaging moments it also has its tedious ones as well.If Huxley too easily dismisses or reduces religious faith to matter of proof, he at least wisely points out that we must distinguish what faith and facts are.

one of my favorite authors
Huxley is one of my favorite authors. I haven't read this book but I have read Science and Christian Tradition from which most of these essays are derived. Stephen J. Gould said of Huxley, "Great and passionate writing does not only appear in novels. As a prose stylist, a few nineteenth-century scientists [Playfair, Lyell, and Huxley in particular] rank with the finest Victorian fiction writers." I couldn't agree more.

Brilliant
The chapters in this book mainly come from Huxley's much larger "Science and the Christian Tradition". If you can get a hold of this book I highly recommend reading it; it takes the reader much fartherthan "Agnosticism and Christianity". If you cannot find thelarger, then read this book. Huxley very matter of factly lays out why thebible cannot be taken as an authoritative source on its own.

Evolution, Epistemology, and Agnosticism According to Huxley
The topic of Agnosticism consumes a relatively minor part of this book. It is interesting to read Huxley's exposition on Darwin's theory of evolution and how he makes the case for why it is more plausible than any other theory. While some of what he says would require modification in light of modern evolutionary thought, most of his arguments (using data from anthropology, archaeology, biology, embryology, genetics, geology, etc.) are still valid. Other essays include discussions on epistemology especially with regard to supernaturalism and claims of miracles. Only in the last several pages does Huxley elaborate on the origin and meaning of Agnosticism. In fact, he seems almost reluctant to descend into the discussion. He indulges the reader nevertheless and does a stupendous job of stating the case. A pleasant read on a rainy day. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:the reason on which it supports itself, the attitude assumed towards truth and knowledge. What is non-essential and variable in it are the objects or propositions to which it refers.Some have represented the scepticism which may appropriately be called agnosticism as disbelief of the attainability of truth. Others contend that it should be confined to doubt. For reasons hereafter to be indicated, I hold that it may be either doubt or disbelief. Not, however, either merely doubt or disbelief, but the doubt or disbelief which rests on the supposition that what are really powers of the human mind are untrustworthy; that what are actually normal perceptions, natural or even necessary laws and legitimate processes, are not to be depended on. Ordinary doubt and ordinary disbelief have their reasons in the objects or propositions examined by the mind, not in distrust of the mind itself. They imply nothing more than the conviction of the absence of evidence for, or the existence of evidence against, the particular position in dispute ; but agnosticism challenges evidence, and refuses to be convinced by it, on the deeper and subtler ground that the mind is inherently incapable of deriving truth or certainty , from what seemingly presents even the strongest claims to be regarded as evidence.III. AGNOSTICISM AND GNOSTICISM.Agnosticism may be directly opposed to gnosticism ; it may be regarded as the contrary extreme. The word gnosticism has been long in use. It was first employed to denote a remarkable class or group ofphilosophico-religious systems which were somewhat widely diffused in the first centuries of the Christian era. The adherents of these systems supposed themselves to have a gnosis or knowledge of a deeper and more precious kind than other men. Regarding the divine ... ... Read more

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This book asks specific philosophical questions about the underlying structure of Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche's thoughts on atheism and agnosticism; thoughts that represent one of the most concerted attacks on monotheistic religion in modern philosophy. Yet commentators interested in philosophical atheism have frequently ignored this tradition. Matthew Ray concludes that Kant's moral theology is largely undersupported; Schopenhauer's metaphysical and ethical atheism is flawed in several areas; and Nietzsche's naturalistic attack on Christianity is only partially successful. Taking a critical stance toward the atheistic orthodoxy in modern philosophy, Ray argues that the question of God's existence remains characteristically unresolved in post-Kantian philosophy. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:PART SECOND.CKTTEEIA OF INDIVIDUAL FACTS AND THEIE LAWS. SECTION IV.INDIVIDUAL FACTS.An eminent man is reported as saying that there are more false facts than false theories. There is truth in this. Facts are apt to have adjuncts to them in the reports given by others, and even in our own apprehensions of them, or they are so mutilated that they take an entirely distorted form. We all know how in story-telling additions and subtractions are apt to be made even by honest narrators, so as to make it more attractive and picturesque.The individual facts are primarily made known by the senses. In these there may be very numerous and complicated details, and any of these if left out may so far distort our apprehensions and the account we give of them. Besides, sensations, feelings, fancies, inferences, attachments, and repugnances may mingle with our pure perception of sense and cast a glow or a gloom around them. In these sections I am showing that we have to guard against these temptations, and that when we do so we can arrive at positive truth.Observation Proper and Etiperiment.—These are the two ways in which we obtain facts. In the former weview objects simply as they present themselves; in the latter we put them in new positions. The advantage of Experiment over Observation Proper (which may be so designated as Experiment, is, after all, a kind of Observation) is that it enables us to perceive the proper action of the several agencies joined in nature. We wish to know whether bodies, whatever be their weight, fall to the ground in equal times. Common observation seems to show that they do not, as we see the gold nugget and the leaf falling at very different times. But we put the gold and the leaf into the exhausted receiver of an air-pump, and find them fal... ... Read more

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Brian L. Johnson's remarkable biography of W.E.B. Du Bois describes the evolution of religious views from Du Bois's birth until his resignation as editor of Crisis magazine in 1934. W.E.B. Du Bois, Towards Agnosticism (1868-1934) traces Du Bois' mounting skepticism through his earliest church experiences to his sociological training in Berlin culminating with his writings in Crisis Magazine. Johnson argues that despite Du Bois' frequent use of Protestant religious rhetoric, the mature Du Bois was a critic of African American religious organizations and their leaders, and a scientifically oriented agnostic who did not adhere to any religious orthodoxy. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Darwin's bulldog in top form
I have owned this book, in its original edition, for a number of years and was very pleasantly surprised to see it being republished. Thomas Huxley's essays on agnosticism are widely known, but they really snap to life when presented, as here, with the essays of Henry Wace which form the other half of the debate.

To give this book a bit of background: in 1888, Henry Wace addressed the Anglican church congress at Manchester with a speech "On Agnosticism," in which he argued, essentially, for intolerance of the agnostic point of view. He took the view that "agnostic" was no more than a fancy name for "infidel," and that agnostics were guilty of denying the claims of christianity in a way calculated to relieve themselves of what he seemed to think was the heavy burden of having to say that Jesus was wrong. In making this address, Wace reckoned without the tremendous talents of advocacy of Thomas Huxley, who had himself coined the term "agnostic." I should point out that "agnosticism" such as is under discussion here is not what most people take the term to mean--a sort of indecision or indifference about the existence of gods--but rather is the more intellectually robust idea that the claims of religion are claims about reality, and must be tested by the same criteria that other claims about reality are tested by, and that there is no good reason to believe those claims (or to insist that others believe them) if they do not hold up under such scrutiny. "Agnosticism" in this original, Huxleyan sense is much closer to what people today would call "atheism."

Huxley responds with an essay in The Nineteenth Century (a sort of political/intellectual journal), and the fire rages back and forth for a few rounds. The debate is a delight. Wace is overmatched from the standpoint of both raw intellectual skill and skill in debate, which gives Huxley the opportunity to box him in on multiple levels. The whole discussion has an almost otherworldy nineteenth-century-English-gentlemanly aspect to it, though, in which expressions of great hostility and reproach are made in the most polite terms imaginable. Huxley's skill, in particular, in using humor, irony, and literary and biblical allusion where a less-sophisticated combatant would use insult and invective is genuinely impressive; he wasn't called "Darwin's Bulldog" for nothing.

As a defense of rationalism and empiricism against ecclesiasticism, it is a monumental work. As a work of debate, it is practically a playbook, with all manner of tactics on display. As philosophy, it is robust and full-blooded, unlike the excessively wordy, arcane stuff that so often passes for philosophy. I have found this book worthy of reading over and over again, and there is always something new in it.
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THIS 26 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Divine Pedigree of Man, by Thomson Jay Hudson. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 076614089X. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Paul in 1890 in 173 pages; Subjects: Belief and doubt; Agnosticism; Fiction / Classics; History / General; Literary Collections / General; Literary Criticism / General; Philosophy / Epistemology; Religion / Agnosticism; ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1889.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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1929. This volume was written with a full and glad recognition of the discoveries of modern science and with modern philosophy taken into account. This is not fundamentalist volume. Neither is it a modernist volume, for the modernist offers no solution to the problem raised by mechanist agnosticism. The attempt is to assist the reader to face his own problem of disillusionment and then to consider a possible reconstruction for his own religion, a reconstruction which does not deny the ancient Christian faith, but seeks to see that faith in terms of the knowledge and actual difficulty of the moment. ... Read more