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Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence
of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That principle is of great antiquity; it is as old as Socrates;
as old as the writer who said, 'Try all things, hold fast by that which is good'; it is the foundation of the Reformation,
which simply illustrated the axiom that every man should be able to give a reason for the faith that is in him, it is the
great principle of Descartes; it is the fundamental axiom of modern science. Positively the principle may be expressed: In
matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration. And negatively:
In matters of the intellect, do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That
I take to be the agnostic faith, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in
the face, whatever the future may have in store for him.
The results of the working out of the agnostic principle will
vary according to individual knowledge and capacity, and according to the general condition of science. That which is unproved
today may be proved, by the help of new discoveries, tomorrow. The only negative fixed points will be those negations which
flow from the demonstrable limitation of our faculties. And the only obligation accepted is to have the mind always open to
conviction. [" Agnosticism", 1889]
That it is wrong for a man to say he is certain of the objective
truth of a proposition unless he can provide evidence which logically justifies that certainty. This is what agnosticism asserts
and in my opinion, is all that is essential to agnosticism. ["Agnosticism and Christianity", 1889]
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