It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
Thomas HuxleyRead
Agnosticism is not properly described as a "negative" creed, nor indeed as a creed of any kind, except in so far as it expresses absolute faith in the validity of a principle which is as much ethical as intellectual.
Interpretation
Agnosticism embraces a commitment to questioning and understanding rather than adhering to definitive beliefs.
In this quote, Thomas Huxley suggests that agnosticism should not be seen merely as a denial of belief or an empty stance; instead, it embodies a profound commitment to the principles of inquiry and ethics. Huxley emphasizes that agnosticism is rooted in the belief that both ethical and intellectual considerations should guide our understanding of truth and reality, indicating that the pursuit of knowledge is inherently an ethical responsibility.
In practice
This quote could be used in a philosophical debate about the nature of belief and knowledge.
It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
The child who has been taught to make an accurate elevation, plan, and section of a pint pot has had an admirable training in accuracy of eye and hand.
Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair" will not curl less gracefully outside the head by reason of there being brains within.
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
It is the first duty of a hypothesis to be intelligible.
Of the few innocent pleasures left to men past middle life, the jamming of common sense down the throats of fools is perhaps the keenest.
Evil comes to us men of imagination wearing as its mask all the virtues.
If I didn't care about doing right and didn't feel uncomfortable doing wrong, I should get on capitally.
Why' is the only question that bothers people enough to have an entire letter of the alphabet named after it. The alphabet does not go 'A B C D What? When? How?' but it does go 'V W X Why? Z.
Science will never be able to reduce the value of a sunset to arithmetic. Nor can it reduce friendship to formula. Laughter and love, pain and loneliness, the challenge of beauty and truth: these will always surpass the scientific mastery of nature.
The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.
It's all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how we fit into it, is no longer effective. Yet we have not learned the new story.
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