Huxley, T. H. -- Essay (1889-02), “Agnosticism,” The Nineteenth Century, Vol. 25, No. 144

Dave — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:40:25 +0000

When I reached intellectual maturity and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an idealist; Christian or a freethinker; I found that the more I learned and reflected, the less ready was the answer; until, at last, I came to the conclusion that I had neither art nor part with any of these denominations, except the last. The one thing in which most of these good people were agreed was the one thing in which I differed from them. They were quite sure they had attained a certain “gnosis,” — had, more or less successfully, solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure I had not, and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble.

T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
Essay (1889-02), “Agnosticism,” The Nineteenth Century, Vol. 25, No. 144
(Source)

Collected in Henry Wace (ed.), Christianity and Agnosticism, ch. 2 (1889).

WIST Quotations

Huxley, T. H. -- Essay (1889-02), “Agnosticism,” The Nineteenth Century, Vol. 25, No. 144