Some Arguments Against Agnosticism

Practical atheism means mans life is indifferent to the existence of god as the natural end of his moral action.

Agnosticism concludes that god may or may not exist and there is not enough evidence to know either way concerning god’s existence

Agnosticism is therefore indifferent to the existence of god

Agnosticism is therefore practical atheism.

But atheism is both false and absurd as shown above

But agnosticism is a form of atheism

Therefore agnosticism is both false and absurd

Agnosticism concludes that the existence of god cannot be known

But the human intellect is ordered to know the nature of bodies and therefore being

God is a being

Therefore man can know that god exists.

Therefore agnosticism contradicts the nature of mans ability to know natures and being.

Agnosticism concludes that the existence of god may or may not be known

If the existence of god may be known, then man can know a being that is not a body, but is a spirit.

A spirit is more unlike a body than like a body

As man knows natures through bodies, then man knows a spirit by analogy from a body.

As god is a spirit, then god is known through analogy.

As analogy is commonly used by man as a valid form of knowledge, then agnosticism is false.

However, if the existence of god may not be known, then man cannot know a being that is not a body, but is a spirit.

But man can know by analogy, for man commonly knows things that are real, by comparison to other things that are real.

Therefore the claim that man may not know the existence of god is false.

Therefore agnosticism is false.

Agnosticism concludes that it is not possible to know that god exists.

Yet man knows of the existence of god as the first cause, mover, perfector, necessary being and orderer.

Therefore man does know of the existence of god

Therefore agnosticism is false.

Agnosticism concludes that it is not possible to know the nature of god.

Yet natural theology concludes that the nature of god is divine, whereby He is the subsistent being, which exists simply, containing all perfections either formally in the divine nature, or virtually, according to power.

As the divine nature is known through reason, then agnosticism is false.

Agnosticism concludes that the nature of the supernatural cannot be known in God.

Yet the existence of the supernatural is demonstrated from reason as follows.

Every being is common to other beings in so far as it has actions in common to other beings

Every being is distinct from other beings in so far as it has something proper to it alone and not to other beings.

The supreme being has perfections that are both common to all other creatures, yet the supreme being is unlike all other beings which are not supreme.

As the supreme being is unlike all other beings, the supreme being must have a perfection that is unlike all other beings

As all other beings are natural, then the supreme being has natural perfections in common with other creatures and supernatural perfections that are proper to it alone

As the supreme being exist, therefore the supernatural order of being exists

But agnosticism concludes that we cannot know that the supernatural order exists

Therefore supernatural monotheism is true and agnosticism is false

Agnosticism concludes that the nature of the supernatural cannot be known

Yet God is supernatural and has chosen to intervene in history through supernatural actions such as prophecy, healing and other miracles.

As these miracles are true, then the action of God in history is also true

Those miracles have been accompanied with a divine teaching that has informed man through public revelation concerning the nature of the supernatural life in God.

This supernatural life in God is the life of the Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As God has told man of the nature of the supernatural life, then agnosticism is false.

JM