agnosticism

English

Etymology

Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley. From a- +‎ gnostic +‎ -ism (see also agnostic).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /æɡˈnɒstɪsɪzəm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /æɡˈnɑstɪsɪzəm/

  • Audio (Mid-Atlantic)

    (file)

Noun

agnosticism (countable and uncountable, plural agnosticisms)

1. The view that absolute truth or ultimate certainty is unattainable, especially regarding knowledge not based on experience or perceivable phenomena.
2. The view that the existence of God or of all deities is unknown, unknowable, unproven, or unprovable.
3. Doubt, uncertainty, or scepticism regarding the existence of a god or gods.
   • 1956, January 31^st: Alan Alexander Milne; quoted in:
   • 1988: James B. Simpson, Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations, № 4,393 (Houghton Mifflin, →ISBN

     The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief — call it what you will — than any book ever written; it has emptied more churches than all the counterattractions of cinema, motor bicycle and golf course.

4. (by extension) Doubt, uncertainty, or scepticism regarding any subject of dispute.
   • 2009, B. Pontin, “Climate change agnosticism - its meaning and implications”, in Environmental Law and Management‎^[1], volume 21, number 2, →ISSN, pages 55-57:

Coordinate terms

• deism

Derived terms

• agnostic
• agnostically
• agnostics

Related terms

• apatheism
• atheism
• Gnostic
• Gnosticism
• ignostic
• ignosticism
• theism

 

Translations

view that the existence of a God or gods is unknown, unknowable, unproven, or unprovable

• Arabic: لَاأَدْرِيَّة‎ f (lā-ʔadriyya)
• Armenian: ագնոստիցիզմ (hy) (agnosticʿizm)
• Asturian: agnosticismu m
• Basque: agnostizismo
• Catalan: agnosticisme (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 不可知論／不可知论 (bat¹ ho² zi¹ leon⁶)

  Mandarin: 不可知論／不可知论 (zh) (bùkězhīlùn)

• Czech: agnosticismus (cs) m
• Danish: agnostisisme c
• Dutch: agnosticisme (nl) n
• Esperanto: agnostikismo
• Finnish: agnostismi (fi)
• French: agnosticisme (fr) m
• Georgian: აგნოსტიციზმი (agnosṭicizmi)
• German: Agnostizismus (de) m
• Greek: αγνωστικισμός (el) m (agnostikismós), αγνωσιαρχία f (agnosiarchía)
• Hebrew: אגנוסטיות‎ (agnustyut)
• Ido: agnostikismo (io)
• Indonesian: agnostisisme (id)
• Italian: agnosticismo (it) m
• Japanese: 不可知論 (ふかちろん, fukachiron)
• Korean: 불가지론(不可知論) (bulgajiron)
• Latin: agnosticismus m
• Malay: agnostisisme
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: agnostisisme (no) m

  Nynorsk: agnostisisme m

• Polish: agnostycyzm (pl) m
• Portuguese: agnosticismo (pt) m
• Romanian: agnosticism (ro)
• Russian: агностици́зм (ru) m (agnosticízm)
• Scottish Gaelic: adhbharachas m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: агностицизам m

  Roman: agnosticizam (sh) m

• Sicilian: agnusticìsimu m
• Spanish: agnosticismo (es) m
• Swedish: agnosticism (sv)
• Thai: อไญยนิยม (th) (à-yai-yá-ní-yom)
• Turkish: agnostisizm (tr), bilinemezcilik (tr)
• Vietnamese: thuyết bất khả tri (說不可知)

See also

• Appendix:Glossary of philosophical isms

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French agnosticisme. Equivalent to agnostic +‎ -ism.

Noun

agnosticism n (uncountable)

1. agnosticism

Declension

declension of agnosticism (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) agnosticism	agnosticismul
genitive/dative	(unui) agnosticism	agnosticismului
vocative	agnosticismule

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aɡnɔstɪsˈɪsm/

Noun

agnosticism c

1. agnosticism

Declension

Declension of agnosticism
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	agnosticism	agnosticismen	agnosticismer	agnosticismerna
Genitive	agnosticisms	agnosticismens	agnosticismers	agnosticismernas