AmIAnAtheistOrAnAgnostic?

APleaForToleranceInTheFaceOfNewDogmas byBertrandRussell(1947) IspeakasonewhowasintendedbymyfathertobebroughtupasaRationalist.Hewas quiteasmuchofaRationalistasIam,buthediedwhenIwasthreeyearsold,andthe CourtofChancerydecidedthatIwastohavethebenefitsofaChristianeducation. IthinkperhapstheCourtofChancerymighthaveregrettedthatsince.Itdoesnotseem tohavedoneasmuchgoodastheyhoped.Perhapsyoumaysaythatitwouldberather apityifChristianeducationweretocease,becauseyouwouldthengetnomore Rationalists. Theyarisechieflyoutofreactiontoasystemofeducationwhichconsidersitquiteright thatafathershoulddecreethathissonshouldbebroughtupasaMuggletonian,wewill say,orbroughtuponanyotherkindofnonsense,buthemustonnoaccountbe broughtuptothinkrationally.WhenIwasyoungthatwasconsideredtobeillegal. SinAndTheBishops SinceIbecameaRationalistIhavefoundthatthereisstillconsiderablescopeinthe worldforthepracticalimportanceofarationalistoutlook,notonlyinmattersof geology,butinallsortsofpracticalmatters,suchasdivorceandbirthcontrol,anda questionwhichhascomeupquiterecently,artificialinsemination,wherebishopstellus thatsomethingisgravelysinful,butitisonlygravelysinfulbecausethereissometextin theBibleaboutit.Itisnotgravelysinfulbecauseitdoesanybodyharm,andthatisnot theargument.Aslongasyoucansay,andaslongasyoucanpersuadeParliamenttogo

onsaying,thatathingmustnotbedonesolelybecausethereissometextintheBible aboutit,solongobviouslythereisgreatneedofRationalisminpractice. Asyoumayknow,IgotintogreattroubleintheUnitedStatessolelybecause,onsome practicalissues,IconsideredthattheethicaladvicegivenintheBiblewasnot conclusive,andthatonsomepointsoneshouldactdifferentlyfromwhattheBiblesays. OnthisgrounditwasdecreedbyaLawCourtthatIwasnotafitpersontoteachinany universityintheUnitedStates,sothatIhavesomepracticalgroundforpreferring Rationalismtootheroutlooks. Don'tBeTooCertain! ThequestionofhowtodefineRationalismisnotaltogetheraneasyone.Idonotthink thatyoucoulddefineitbyrejectionofthisorthatChristiandogma.Itwouldbe perfectlypossibletobeacompleteandabsoluteRationalistinthetruesenseofthe termandyetacceptthisorthatdogma. Thequestionishowtoarriveatyouropinionsandnotwhatyouropinionsare.Thething inwhichwebelieveisthesupremacyofreason.Ifreasonshouldleadyoutoorthodox conclusions,wellandgood;youarestillaRationalist.Tomymindtheessentialthingis thatoneshouldbaseone'sargumentsuponthekindofgroundsthatareacceptedin science,andoneshouldnotregardanythingthatoneacceptsasquitecertain,butonly asprobableinagreateroralessdegree.Nottobeabsolutelycertainis,Ithink,oneof theessentialthingsinrationality. ProofofGod Heretherecomesapracticalquestionwhichhasoftentroubledme.WheneverIgointo aforeigncountryoraprisonoranysimilarplacetheyalwaysaskmewhatismyreligion. IneverknowwhetherIshouldsay"Agnostic"orwhetherIshouldsay"Atheist".Itisa verydifficultquestionandIdaresaythatsomeofyouhavebeentroubledbyit.Asa philosopher,ifIwerespeakingtoapurelyphilosophicaudienceIshouldsaythatIought todescribemyselfasanAgnostic,becauseIdonotthinkthatthereisaconclusive argumentbywhichoneprovethatthereisnotaGod.

Ontheotherhand,ifIamtoconveytherightimpressiontotheordinarymaninthe streetIthinkIoughttosaythatIamanAtheist,becausewhenIsaythatIcannotprove thatthereisnotaGod,IoughttoaddequallythatIcannotprovethattherearenotthe Homericgods. Noneofuswouldseriouslyconsiderthepossibilitythatallthegodsofhomerreally exist,andyetifyouweretosettoworktogivealogicaldemonstrationthatZeus,Hera, Poseidon,andtherestofthemdidnotexistyouwouldfinditanawfuljob.Youcould notgetsuchproof. Therefore,inregardtotheOlympicgods,speakingtoapurelyphilosophicalaudience,I wouldsaythatIamanAgnostic.Butspeakingpopularly,Ithinkthatallofuswouldsay inregardtothosegodsthatwewereAtheists.InregardtotheChristianGod,Ishould,I think,takeexactlythesameline. Skepticism Thereisexactlythesamedegreeofpossibilityandlikelihoodoftheexistenceofthe ChristianGodasthereisoftheexistenceoftheHomericGod.Icannotprovethateither theChristianGodortheHomericgodsdonotexist,butIdonotthinkthattheir existenceisanalternativethatissufficientlyprobabletobeworthserious consideration.Therefore,Isupposethatthatonthesedocumentsthattheysubmitto meontheseoccasionsIoughttosay"Atheist",althoughithasbeenaverydifficult problem,andsometimesIhavesaidoneandsometimestheotherwithoutanyclear principlebywhichtogo. Whenoneadmitsthatnothingiscertainonemust,Ithink,alsoadmitthatsomethings aremuchmorenearlycertainthanothers.Itismuchmorenearlycertainthatweare assembledheretonightthanitisthatthisorthatpoliticalpartyisintheright.Certainly therearedegreesofcertainty,andoneshouldbeverycarefultoemphasizethatfact, becauseotherwiseoneislandedinanutterskepticism,andcompleteskepticismwould, ofcourse,betotallybarrenandcompletelyuseless.

Persecution Onmustrememberthatsomethingsareverymuchmoreprobablethanothersand maybesoprobablethatitisnotworthwhiletorememberinpracticethattheyarenot whollycertain,exceptwhenitcomestoquestionsofpersecution. Ifitcomestoburningsomebodyatthestakefornotbelievingit,thenitisworthwhile torememberthatafterallhemayberight,anditisnotworthwhiletopersecutehim. Ingeneral,ifamansays,forinstance,thattheearthisflat,Iamquitewillingthathe shouldpropagatehisopinionashardashelikes.Hemay,ofcourse,berightbutIdonot thinkheis.Inpracticeyouwill,Ithink,dobettertoassumethattheearthisround, although,ofcourse,youmaybemistaken.Therefore,Idonotthinkweshouldgoinfor completeskepticism,butforadoctrineofdegreesofprobability. Ithinkthat,onthewhole,thatisthekindofdoctrinethattheworldneeds.Theworld hasbecomeveryfullofnewdogmas.heolddogmashaveperhapsdecayed,butnew dogmashavearisenand,onthewhole,Ithinkthatadogmaisharmfulinproportionto itsnovelty.Newdogmasaremuchworsethatoldones. byBertrandRussell