[peritonlogon]

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'Agnostic' does not mean 'does not believe'. This is a mistake that many not so bright people also make with the term skeptic. Both refer to a suspending of judgment. That means an agnostic would not say that there is no God but instead that there is no proof either way. They 'suspend judgment'.

pragmatist

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Unfortunately many not so bright people also don't get that not believing in something and reseving judgement as to whether or not a thing exist are equivalent. As well as the fact that the question of proof for or against god is a fools errand to begin with.

Not believing something is not an affirmative act, it is the lack of affirming it's opposite.
Saying I do not believe there is a god is denying a belief.
Saying I believe that there is no god is asserting a blief.

Put sylogistically they both mean:

I am a non god-believing person.

Howerver the latter also means

I am a person believing there is no god

which is a particular case of the former.
ex. All persons believing there is no god are
persons who do not belive in god.

Howerver All persons who do not believe in god are not
persons believing there is no god

An agnotsic is still a person who does not believe in god precisely because he witholds judgement. Because of the tautology that All people who do not believe in god are non god believing people.

If someone reserves judgement he does not believe.

Hence, what I said earlier, an Agnostic is an Atheist without conviction, ie he does not ASSERT anything


And also a skeptic most certainly denies that what we know of in the world is knowledge.