Hard atheism is the positive claim in the nonexistence of God. It explicitly asserts that God does not exist, putting the burden of proof on the claimant.

Soft atheism is the negative claim in the existence of God. It claims a lack of belief in God while not explicitly denying the existence of Him - only implicitly.

Agnosticism is the positive claim in the inability to justify knowledge of God; in other words, it denies that the existence of God is knowable, putting the burden of proof on the claimant. A soft atheistic ethos follows agnosticism.

The modern atheist epistemology has its roots in the reformation as human rationality became the primary mode of justifying knowledge. This, however, is not the practical norm for modern atheism as it now relies on a technocratic system of specialized authorities, reminiscent of clergy.