Huxley and scientific agnosticism: the strange history of a failed rhetorical strategy.
@article{Lightman2002HuxleyAS,
title={Huxley and scientific agnosticism: the strange history of a failed rhetorical strategy.},
author={B. Lightman},
journal={British journal for the history of science},
year={2002},
volume={35 126 Pt 3},
pages={
271-89
}
}Huxley's invention of the term 'agnostic' in 1869 is often seen as a brilliant rhetorical strategy. Portrayed as an effective weapon in Huxley's public debates with defenders of the Anglican establishment, the creation of scientific agnosticism has been interpreted as a turning point in the relationship between science and religion. In this paper I will challenge this interpretation of the rise of scientific agnosticism. Huxley was reluctant to identify himself unambiguously as an agnostic in… CONTINUE READING
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