Isn’t [an agnostic] just an atheist without balls?
Stephen Colbert, comedian[1]
Despite the different labels and the disputes about brights, most unbelievers get along just fine. Rationalists and freethinkers don’t generally get into fistfights (at least not with each other), humanists don’t have a lot of shouting matches with agnostics, and it’s perfectly possible for one person to be an atheist, a humanist, a freethinker, and an objectivist -- all at the same time.
But arguments do happen. If you think that unbelievers disagree with religious people -- and they do -- you should see what they say about each other. For instance:
“Agnosticism is a cop-out.”[2] “Agnostics are ethically superior to
“Agnostics are saying that they “The triumphalism that too often seems to
don't know and not only that, nobody be part and parcel of atheism entails a poverty
knows or can know. So they are being of spirit that is detrimental to our humanity.”[5]
just as arrogant as they say that “The atheists of the world want to take
fundamentalists and atheists are.”[6] control of all the philosophical stances outside
theism . . . as though they have the divine right to
do so.”[7]
Extremists in each camp even declare that the other isn’t real. “There is no such thing as an agnostic,” according to atheist Judith Hayes, who blogs as The Happy Heretic. “To say, ‘I am an agnostic’ is to say, ‘I don’t know whether I believe in God or not.’ Which is nonsense.” [8] Meanwhile, according to young agnostic Zach Maxwell, “There is no such thing as atheism.” He explains, “If you are saying there is no such thing as [God] then [God] exists for you in the realm of things not to believe in. . . . so therefore, you are acknowledging [God’s] existence . . . even in the realm of your mind.”[9]
Others try to split the difference between atheist and agnostic by calling themselves atheistic agnostics or agnostic atheists. Declarations and counter-declarations like these have been flying across pages, computer screens and dorm rooms for years.
A newer argument pits “positive atheism” (also called “strong atheism” or “hard atheism”) against “negative atheism” (alias “weak atheism,” “soft atheism,” or “default atheism”). There are a lot of ways to define the groups. For instance: Negative atheists say that there’s no proof that any god exists; positive atheists say that there is proof that no god exists. Or: Negative atheists tolerate religion and believers; positive atheists, according to journalist Gary Wolf, “condemn not just belief in God but respect for belief in God.” In their view, Wolf says, “Religion is not only wrong; it’s evil.”[10] And so on.
Which side is right?
Neither. Or both. Arguing about the right brand of unbelief is like arguing about New York pizza vs. Chicago pizza, whether Michael Jordan could beat up Babe Ruth, or if George Clooney is cooler than Humphrey Bogart. Both sides can pile up mounds of evidence and spin webs of perfect logic, but there’s no case-closed proof that one side is clearly right and the other obviously wrong. The arguments will go on, though, because people on each side believe in their convictions passionately and because a good, hard, fair debate can be a lot of fun.
[1] Stephen Colbert, “Bart Ehrman,” The Colbert Report (June 20, 2006), http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/70912/june-20-2006/bart-ehrman
[2] Jenblacksheep, “Atheist vs. Religious vs. Agnostic,” Hubpages forums, August 2010, http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/50430
[3] Suburbanite, “Agnostics are pussies,” Argue with Everyone forum, March 8, 2008, http://www.arguewitheveryone.com/religion-philosophy/15791-agnostics-pussies.html
[4] Psyadam, “Why Agnosticism Is Superior to Atheism,” Raving Atheists forum, August 25, 2010, http://ravingatheists.com/forum/showthread.php?p=616950
[5] Mark Vernon, “How to Be Agnostic,” The Philosophers’ Magazine website, October 29, 2009, http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=785
[6] John Draper, “Militant Agnostics,” Cobourg Atheist website, November 24, 2010, http://www.cobourgatheist.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=898:militant-agnostics&catid=77&Itemid=175
[7] Frank Apisa, “Agnostic vs. Atheist,” Able 2 Know forum, June 15, 2006, http://able2know.org/topic/77088-5
[8] Judith Hayes, “There Is No Such Thing as an Agnostic,” The Happy Heretic website (June 2001), http://www.thehappyheretic.com/06-01.htm
[9] “There Is No Such Thing as Atheism,” Zach Maxwell Music website (August 7, 2009), http://www.zachmaxwellmusic.com/zach-maxwell/there-is-no-such-thing-as-atheism/
[10] Gary Wolf, “The Church of the Non-Believers,” Wired (November 2006), http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/atheism_pr.html
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