Why the mere recognition of uncertainty tends to get mistaken for denial. Why agnostics get unfairly lumped in with atheists, and why Russell’s much-quoted teapot does not give a good reason for treating agnosticism like atheism. This is a tributary video to no.5 in this series, on agnosticism.

This is the 19th video in the Middle Way Philosophy introductory course.

Suggested questions for reflection:

1. Can you suggest a situation in your experience when you may have confused or conflated the two types of ‘no’? That might mean assuming that someone’s failure to affirm something that you believe was a critical rejection, for example.
2. What kinds of reflections or checks might practically help with the avoidance of sceptical slippage?

Suggested further reading:

Middle Way Philosophy 1: The Path of Objectivity, section 1. e & h