Agnosticism

From Theosophy Wiki
Revision as of 21:08, 28 October 2016 by Pablo Sender (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Expand article image 5.png




Agnosticism (from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-), meaning "without", and γνῶσις (gnōsis), meaning "knowledge") is the view that the truth of certain claims, especially in regards to metaphysics, religion, and esotericism, are unknown and perhaps unknowable, since human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify them.

According to Mahatma Koot Hoomi, agnostics "assume the negative position of knowing nothing but phenomena and refuse to believe in anything else."[1] He also added:

Enquiry that only unmasks error, without discovering anything upon which the soul can build, will but make iconoclasts. Iconoclasm from its very destructiveness can give nothing, it can only raze. But man can not rest satisfied with bare negation. Agnosticism is but a temporary halt.[2]

Notes

  1. Mahatma Letter No. 5 page 14.
  2. Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence Appendiz I (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 475.