NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ignosticism

Ignosticism is a word coined by Rabbi Sherwin Wine to indicate one of two related views about the existence of God. For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... Portrait of Sherwin Wine. ... Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and others. ...

The first view is that a coherent definition of God must be presented before the question of the existence of God can be meaningfully discussed. Furthermore, if that definition cannot be falsified, the ignostic takes the theological noncognitivist position that the question of the existence of God (per that definition) is meaningless. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Falsifiability (or disprovability) is the logical possibility that an assertion can be shown false by an observation or a physical experiment. ... Theological noncognitivism is the argument that religious language, and specifically words like God (capitalized), are not cognitively meaningful. ...

The second view is synonymous with theological noncognitivism, and skips the step of first asking "What is meant by God?" before proclaiming the concept meaningless. Theological noncognitivism is the argument that religious language, and specifically words like God (capitalized), are not cognitively meaningful. ...

Some philosophers have seen ignosticism as a variation of agnosticism or atheism^{[citation needed]}, while others have considered it to be distinct. In any case, it is a form of nontheism. Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without, and Gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claimsâ€”particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate realityâ€”is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism... â€œAtheistâ€ redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Relationship to other views about God

Ignosticism and theological noncognitivism are generally synonymous,^[1] and ignostics are nontheists in that they do not believe in God, but the relationship of ignosticism to other nontheistic views is less clear. While Paul Kurtz finds the view to be compatible with both weak atheism and agnosticism,^[2] other philosophers consider ignosticism to be distinct. Theological noncognitivism is the argument that religious language, and specifically words like God (capitalized), are not cognitively meaningful. ... Nontheism or non-theism is the absence of belief in any gods. ... Dr. Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (born December 21, 1925 in Newark, New Jersey) is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), but is best known for his prominent role in the United States skeptical community. ... Weak atheism (also called negative atheism) is the lack of belief in the existence of deities, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of deities. ...

In a chapter of his 1936 book Language, Truth, and Logic, A. J. Ayer argued that one could not speak of God's existence, or even the probability of God's existence, since the concept itself was unverifiable and thus nonsensical.^[3] Ayer wrote that this ruled out atheism and agnosticism as well as theism because all three positions assume that the sentence "God exists" is meaningful.^[4] Given the meaninglessness of theistic claims, Ayer opined that there was "no logical ground for antagonism between religion and natural science,"^[5] as theism alone does not entail any propositions which the scientific method can falsify. The cover of a 1952 version of Language, Truth and Logic Language, Truth and Logic, a work of philosophy by Alfred Jules Ayer, published in 1936) defines, explains and argues for the verification principle of logical positivism, sometimes referred to as the criterion of significance or criterion of meaning. The... Alfred Jules Ayer (October 29, 1910 - June 27, 1989), better known as simply A. J. Ayer (and called Freddie by friends), was a British philosopher. ...

Like Ayer, Theodore Drange sees atheism and agnosticism as positions which accept "God exists" as a meaningful proposition; atheists judge it to be "false or probably false" and agnostics consider it to be inconclusive until further evidence is met.^[6] If Drange's definitions are accepted, ignostics are neither atheists nor agnostics. An atheist would say "I don't believe God exists", an agnostic would say "I don't know whether or not God exists", and an ignostic would say "I don't know what you mean when you say 'God exists'". Theodore Ted Michael Drange (b. ...

Ignosticism is not to be confused with apatheism, a position of apathy toward the existence of God. An apatheist may see the statement "God exists" as meaningless, yet they may also see it as meaningful, and perhaps even true.^[7] Apatheism (a portmanteau of atheism and apathy), also known as pragmatic or practical atheism, is a subset of atheism (when atheism is defined as lack of belief in deities, rather than specific disbelief in deities). ...

Dependence on a particular view concerning the word "God"

Drange emphasizes that any stance on "Does God exist?" is made with respect to a particular concept of what one claims to consider "God" to represent:

As "God" means very different things to different people, when the word is spoken, an ignostic may seek to determine if something like a child's definition of a god is meant or if a theologian's is intended instead. Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ...

A theistic child's concept generally has a simple and coherent meaning, based on an anthropomorphic conception of God: a big powerful man in the sky responsible for certain matters.^[8] This anthropomorphic divine conception has been rejected by Spinoza, as well as by Feuerbach in The Essence of Christianity (1841). Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... Baruch Spinoza Benedictus de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 - February 21, 1677), named Baruch Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento dEspiñoza in the community in which he grew up. ... Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (July 28, 1804 - September 13, 1872), German philosopher, fourth son of the eminent jurist Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach, was born in Landshut, Bavaria and died in Rechenberg (since 1899 a district of Nuremberg). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

A theologian's concept is more complex and abstract, often involving such concepts as first cause, sustainer, and unmoved mover and claiming such attributes for God as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. To the ignostic these abstractions, taken singly or in combination, cannot be said to be false; rather, they are muddled, self-contradictory, linguistically empty, or perhaps poetic. Hence, one cannot meaningfully expound on the existence or nonexistence of God.

The consistent ignostic, therefore, awaits a coherent definition of the word "God" (or of any other metaphysical utterance purported to be discussable) before claiming to be able to consider the words "God's existence" as cognitively meaningful so as to be able to engage in arguments called "God exists" or "God does not exist". Plato (Left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world. ...

See also

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... It has been suggested that Meta-epistemology be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ... Note: This short article describes the specific history and ideas of the early verificationists. ...

Notes

References

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements | Agnosticism | Neologisms Karen Armstrong (born November 14, 1944 in Wildmoor, Worcestershire, England) is an author who writes on Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. ... Colophon of the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. ... Alfred Jules Ayer (October 29, 1910 - June 27, 1989), better known as simply A. J. Ayer (and called Freddie by friends), was a British philosopher. ... The cover of a 1952 version of Language, Truth and Logic Language, Truth and Logic, a work of philosophy by Alfred Jules Ayer, published in 1936) defines, explains and argues for the verification principle of logical positivism, sometimes referred to as the criterion of significance or criterion of meaning. The... Dover Publications is a book publisher founded in 1941. ... The Library of Congress Control Number or LCCN is a serially based system of numbering books in the Library of Congress in the United States. ... Movement of Humanistic Judaism founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine. ... Internet Infidels, Inc. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (born December 21, 1925 in Newark, New Jersey) is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), but is best known for his prominent role in the United States skeptical community. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Government - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area - City 52. ... Prometheus Books is a publishing company founded in August 1969 by Paul Kurtz and publishes scientific, educational, and popular books, especially those of a secular humanist or scientific skepticism nature. ... The Atlantic Monthly (also known as The Atlantic) is an American literary/cultural magazine that was founded in November 1857. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more divinities or deities. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture For the 1934 film, see, see The Goddess (1934 film). ... Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and others. ... Agnostic Theism is the philosophical view that encompasses both theism and agnosticism. ... For other uses, see Divinity (disambiguation) and Divine (disambiguation). ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple gods or deities. ... Monolatrism or monolatry is a form of theology where adherents believe in the existence of multiple deities but worship only one. ... Henotheism (Greek heis theos one god) is a term coined by Max MÃ¼ller, to mean devotion to a single God while accepting the existence of other gods. ... Kathenotheism is a term coined by the philologist Max Müller to mean the worship of one god at a time. ... Dystheism is the belief that God does exist but is not wholly good, or that he might even be evil. ... For the Celtic Frost album, see Monotheist (album) In theology, monotheism (from Greek one and god) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ... For other uses, see Ceremonial Deism. ... For other uses, see Monist (disambiguation). ... Pantheism (Greek: Ï€Î¬Î½ ( pan ) = all and Î¸ÎµÏŒÏ‚ ( theos ) = God) literally means God is All and All is God. It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. ... Panentheism (from Greek (pÃ¢n) all; (en) in; ; and (TheÃ³s) god; all-in-God) is the theological position that God is immanent within the Universe, but also transcends it. ... Pandeism (Greek Ï€Î¬Î½, pan = all and Latin deus = God, in the sense of deism), is a term used at various times to describe religious beliefs. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Image File history File links Portal. ... â€œAtheistâ€ redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Strong atheism is a term generally used to describe atheists who accept as true the proposition, gods do not exist. Weak atheism refers to any type of non-theism which falls short of this standard. ... Agnostic atheism is a philosophical doctrine that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. ... Implicit atheism and explicit atheism are subcategories of atheism coined by George H. Smith (1979, p. ... Antitheism (sometimes anti-theism) is active opposition to theism. ... Antireligion is opposition to some or all religions in some or all contexts. ... Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without, and Gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claimsâ€”particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate realityâ€”is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism... Agnostic Theism is the philosophical view that encompasses both theism and agnosticism. ... Agnostic atheism is a philosophical doctrine that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. ... Weak agnosticism, or empirical agnosticism (also negative agnosticism), is the belief that the existence or nonexistence of deities is currently unknown, but is not necessarily unknowable, therefore one will withhold judgment until more evidence is available. ... Strong agnosticism or positive agnosticism is the belief that it is impossible for humans to know whether or not any God or gods exist. ... Apatheism (a portmanteau of atheism and apathy), also known as pragmatic or practical atheism, is a subset of atheism (when atheism is defined as lack of belief in deities, rather than specific disbelief in deities). ... Acosmism, in contrast to pantheism, denies the reality of the universe, seeing it as ultimately illusory, (the prefix a- in Greek meaning negation; like un- in English), and only the infinite unmanifest Absolute as real. ... The term Animism is derived from the Latin anima, meaning soul.[1][2] In its most general sense, animism is simply the belief in souls. ... Binitarianism is a theology of two in one God, as opposed to one (unitarianism) or three (trinitarianism). ... Determinism is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and behavior, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. ... The term dualism is the state of being dual, or having a twofold division. ... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article discusses Humanism as a non-theistic life stance. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... New Thought describes a religiophilosophical movement that developed in the United States during the late 19th century, originating with the metaphysical healing practices of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and the â€œmental scienceâ€ of Warren Felt Evans, a Swedenborgian minister. ... The term nondual is a literal translation of the Sanskrit term advaita, (meaning not two). ... By 1853, when the popular song Spirit Rappings was published, Spiritualism was the object of intense curiosity. ... Thelema is the English transliteration of the Ancient Greek noun : will, from the verb Î¸ÎÎ»Ï‰: to will, wish, purpose. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: Î¸ÎµÎ¿ÏƒÎ¿Ï†Î¯Î± theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... In religion, transcendence is a condition or state of being that surpasses, and is independent of, physical existence. ... Transtheism is the belief in one or more deities. ... Below are words that designate a set or subset of beliefs. ...

Contents

Relationship to other views about God GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Dependence on a particular view concerning the word "God"

See also

Notes

References

Relationship to other views about God