via http://pyridine.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/what-is-so-humble-about-agnosticism/ The New Atheists have attracted criticisms from both sides. The conservatives chide Richard Dawkins (for example) for his lack of sophistication in theology. The liberals mock him for his lack of sophistication in philosophy. However, neither camp has produced any advanced theology/philosophy to support the existence of a creator. Let’s face it. All those objections come down to only one moral judgement: the New Atheists are too arrogant. It is often claimed that agnosticism is the more honest and more humble position to take. It is said that since we do not possess perfect knowledge, the best we can do is to acknowledge that we don’t know if God exists. Anyone who makes such a claim must then be prepared to grant that we cannot be sure if Eric Clapton (or Eric Cartman for the matter) is literally God. However, 1. Surely God can produce something more impressive than Layla? 2. This position insists that any whimsical idea about God that anyone conjures up from thin air, no matter how silly, trivial, or absurd, has a chance of being right and therefore should be taken seriously. And all the deep thinkings demanded by this open mindedness predictably lead to the conclusion that we cannot be sure. There is nothing humble about that. Our intellect is highly limited. It is precisely because of our limitations that any theory proposed, even by the most brilliant among us, is most likely wrong. It is precisely for the sake of humbleness that we must reject a hypothesis unless it is supported by strong evidence. The anthropomorphic concept of God is a primitive idea most likely invented by unsophisticated minds. Without strong supporting evidences, there is no chance that myths created besides the camp fires of nomadic cultures just so happen to touch upon the deep mysteries of the universe. Those who are reluctant to reject them are giving too much credit to the human mind. To grant that anything we can think of has a fair chance of being correct is hubris. I say it is more humble to be an atheist. --

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