What is Agnostic?
These term is misunderstood by people. Agnostic are the people uncertain about existence or non-existence of god. According to them it is impossible for a human to get the absolute knowledge about god, divine forces and creation of universe or how the universe was created. This term was framed by Thomas Henry Huxley, who was a British biologist.
There are specific types of agnostics like: Strong agnosticism(They believe that world is experienced only through subjective experience. Humans are unable to see beyond their limitations), Weak agnosticism(They have same belief than of strong agnosticism but allows a place for exploration), Agnostic atheism(They believes that there is no exact statement for or against deity), Agnostic Theism(They believe that there is no proof about any deity), etc.
Famous figures with belief in agnosticism are Albert Einstein, Carrie Fisher, Brad Pitt, Neil Gaiman, Warren Buffet. Leonardo DiCapiro admitted to be an agnostic. Zac Effron also agreed to be an agnostic.
What is Atheist?
Atheist are the people who does not believe in god or existence of divine forces. The term was coined from a Greek word atheos which means without gods. Atheism means absence of beliefs in deities. People believe in atheism because of lack of evidence, existence of problems and evils. Sometimes people are misunderstood for beign an atheist. Being an atheist doesn’t mean spreading hate. It simply means not believing in existence of god and not following any religion. Following religion and being a atheist or agnostic is a complete personal choice.
Atheist people are considered to be non-religious but there are parts of some major religion who does not believes in existence of deities. Buddhism is a religion which is described by some as nontheistic religion due to belief in absence of creator god. Some sources state that the percent of Atheist in the world are 7%. Many people believes to replace all religion with humanism. There are 2 types of atheist: No-concept atheist and positive atheist. No-concept atheist are those who just don’t believe in god because they never thought or tried to think about this topic. Positive atheist are those does not believe in god because of inadequate evidence available.
Famous figures with belief in atheism are Richard Dawkins, Albert Camus, Sam Harris, Dan Barker, Woody Allen. George coolney, raised in a catholic family, doest not belives in supreme power. Angelina Jolie also considers herself to be an atheist.
Difference Between Agnostic and Atheist
- The main difference between agnostic and atheist are belief in god. Agnosticism is belief in god whereas Atheist is no belief in god.
- Life after death is also a point of difference between the two. Agnostic believe that human cannot get the absolute knowledge about life after death and Atheist believe death is the end.
- The origin of the two word is also different. Agnostic word was coined by T.H Huxley a British biologist whereas Atheist originated from a Greek word atheos which means without gods.
- Due to difference in belief the lifestyle of agonist and atheist are different.
Comparison Between Agnostic and Atheist
| Parameters of Comparison | Agnostic | Atheist |
| Meaning | Uncertain feeling about existence or non-existence of god. | Does not believe in god. |
| Coined by | T.H Huxley, British biologist | Derived from Greek word atheos |
| Belief in god | Beliefs that it is not possible for a human to proof the existence or non-existence of god | Does not beliefs in god. |
| Life after death | They believe it is impossible to know. | The thoughts varies. Most of them thinks that death is end of existence. |
| Famous figures | Albert Einstein, Carrie Fisher, Warren Buffet. | Richard Dawkins, Woody Allen, Peter Singer. |