Do you believe in life on other planets, even without evidence, because I think that is a hypocritical intellectual position?
I'd hope not.
It's possible I'd believe it based on the assessment of others whom I trust without ever having thought about it personally. There are many things that I believe based on that. I believe that the Empire State Building is on Fifth Avenue based on a wiki page I read this morning, but I've never been there to see it for myself. And it's not like wiki even attempted to offer any argument to support its contention. I just blindly followed along.
But as there is evidence for life on other worlds that answer would be speculation. And knowing how you feel about speculation I was a bit hesitant to offer it.
Well, looky there a different question a different answer. How'd that happen?
It's possible that different questions mean different things. But that's speculation again. I've over looked the possibility that a question may be a rhetorical devise to guide others towards an intended goal, a la, Socrates, instead of a direct attempt at discovery.
There is a story about Socrates and a slave boy. Socrates is asking the boy a series of questions with the intent of establishing that even the simplest of minds held knowledge of the deepest workings of the Universe. His quiz was geometry based, and he asked the boy " do you think we will have a square that is eight feet?" the boy said, "You mean like a spider?"
"No, not like a spider. Eight feet to a side."
"A spider eight feet to a side. There is no such thing: is there?"
"Of course there are no spiders eight feet to a side. I was asking about squares."
"But a square has four sides. And now that I think about it, spiders don't even have feet, they have tarsi."
"Tarsi is just another name for foot."
"Why do you keep going on about spider?"
"You're the one on spiders."
"I'm not on a spider."
"Okay already. What were we talking about?"
"I forget."
"Me too."
"Can we go get a sandwich?"
"That's not one of those rhetorical questions is it?"
"Was that?"
"Was what?"
"Your original question about us believing about life on other planets."
"Did I ask that?"
"Yes, you did. But after you got answers you went off on a tangent about Crashfrog lying about giant spiders. So, what is your interest about us believing in life on other planets?"
"What about the sandwich?"
Edited by lyx2no, : "Giant" spiders.
Be still, the demands I make upon your conscience are slight. It is only your flattery I seek, not your sincerity.