Dragaera

Damiano's Lute

Chris Olson - SunPS Chrisf.Olson at Sun.COM
Wed Nov 27 08:55:03 PST 2002

> agnostic:
> A. n. One who holds that the existence of anything beyond and behind
> material phenomena is unknown and (so far as can be judged)
> unknowable, and especially that a First Cause and an unseen world are
> subjects of which we know nothing.
> [Suggested by Prof. Huxley at a party held previous to the formation
> of the now defunct Metaphysical Society, at Mr. James Knowles's house
> on Clapham Common, one evening in 1869, in my hearing. He took it from
> St. Paul's mention of the alter to 'the Unknown God.' R.H Hutton in
> letter 13 Mar. 1881.]
> 
> Atheist is much simpler:
> 
> 1. One who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God.
> 
> And dates to at least 1568.

Hey!  Does this mean Agnostisism was the next evolutionary
step from Atheism?  (What?  I can hope for a superior outlook on
life from my atheist brothers and sisters, can't I?  Does that
make me evil?) <grin>

Chris