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Author Topic:   I don't believe in God, I believe in Gravity
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 601 of 693 (711775)
11-22-2013 9:53 AM
Reply to: Message 576 by New Cat's Eye
11-21-2013 12:58 PM


Re: What happened to methodological naturalism?
I'm not "scientifically explaining the supernatural". I'm telling you how a supernatural hypotheses could be objectively evidenced. Do you understand the difference between "explanation" and "evidence"?
Really CS - For thread after thread, year after year you tell me that "subjective evidence" - Voices inside people's heads and suchlike - Cannot be ignored and that it is suggestive of supernatural beings actually existing. You have debated every single regular atheist participant here at EvC on the basis that these subjective experiences are genuinely indicative of the supernatural actually existing.
But I give you an example of how a supernatural hypothesis could be objectively evidenced by prediction and verification and you tell me that you would never accept that evidence!!!
Do you think voices inside people's heads are a better form of evidence than verified predictions of the sort I have described?
WTF

This message is a reply to:
 Message 576 by New Cat's Eye, posted 11-21-2013 12:58 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 607 by New Cat's Eye, posted 11-22-2013 10:22 AM Straggler has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 602 of 693 (711777)
11-22-2013 9:56 AM
Reply to: Message 575 by jar
11-21-2013 12:52 PM


Re:
I have described how I would use prediction to verify a supernatural hypothesis.
See my post to CS.
What exactly is your problem with that use of prediction?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 575 by jar, posted 11-21-2013 12:52 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 604 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:08 AM Straggler has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 603 of 693 (711778)
11-22-2013 10:07 AM
Reply to: Message 588 by Jon
11-21-2013 4:39 PM


Re: What happened to methodological naturalism?
Jon writes:
And, again, just what is a supernatural hypothesis?
This is:
As a result of prayer it has been revealed that those closest to GOD will be imbued with incredible healing powers.
The hypothesis is that those who are more devout will receive healing powers from GOD.
The prediction is that those who devote themselves to GOD will exhibit these healing powers.
Lo and behold priests all around the world are suddenly and verifiably able to heal cancer, cause the re-growth of missing limbs and so on and so forth. The Pope is verifiably able to resurrect the dead.
But - unconvinced - we do some further testing of this hypothesis:
We get a group of those who are about to set out dedicating their life to prayer, biblical study and generally praising GOD.
We get another group who think it's all a load of bunk and who refuse to have anything to do with GOD whatever these mysterious healing powers may suggest.
We get a control group who have no idea what they are being tested for.
Over time the first group are objectively verified as exhibiting incredible healing powers whilst the other two groups show no such signs.
The above would be objective empirical evidence in favour of the supernatural claim in question obtained by the application of the hypothetico-deductive method.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 588 by Jon, posted 11-21-2013 4:39 PM Jon has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 424 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 604 of 693 (711779)
11-22-2013 10:08 AM
Reply to: Message 602 by Straggler
11-22-2013 9:56 AM


Re:
I don't see where there was any test of the supernatural there.
Your basic premise is flawed when you say "The hypothesis is that those who are more devout will receive healing powers from GOD. The prediction is that those who devote themselves to GOD will exhibit these healing powers."
That is not a test of the supernatural. At best your results, if the did happen show that a group of people have healing powers. It says a little about that group but nothing about the supernatural.
Again, I would not see any support for the supernatural there.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 602 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 9:56 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 605 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:15 AM jar has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 605 of 693 (711782)
11-22-2013 10:15 AM
Reply to: Message 604 by jar
11-22-2013 10:08 AM


Re:
jar writes:
I don't see where there was any test of the supernatural there.
There was a test of the hypothesis in question.
Do you see how verifying the predictions of gravity as space-time curvature verifies the hypothesis that gravitational effects are caused by spacetime geometry?
Can you explain why tests by prediction don't apply to supernatural hypotheses?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 604 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:08 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 606 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:18 AM Straggler has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 424 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 606 of 693 (711783)
11-22-2013 10:18 AM
Reply to: Message 605 by Straggler
11-22-2013 10:15 AM


Re:
I have never seen a predictive test of the supernatural proposed.
As I said, I don't see anything in your example related to the supernatural.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 605 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:15 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 608 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:23 AM jar has replied

  
New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 607 of 693 (711784)
11-22-2013 10:22 AM
Reply to: Message 601 by Straggler
11-22-2013 9:53 AM


Re: What happened to methodological naturalism?
I'm not "scientifically explaining the supernatural". I'm telling you how a supernatural hypotheses could be objectively evidenced. Do you understand the difference between "explanation" and "evidence"?
Are you even reading my posts?
quote:
In principle, the supernatural could be witnessed by a scientific approach, but scientific explanations are supposed to be natural.
quote:
Science can investigate anything that can be investigated, be it natural or not.
It limits itself to explanations that are natural, but that doesn't dictate what you can look at.
Really CS - For thread after thread, year after year you tell me that "subjective evidence" - Voices inside people's heads and suchlike - Cannot be ignored and that it is suggestive of supernatural beings actually existing. You have debated every single regular atheist participant here at EvC on the basis that these subjective experiences are genuinely indicative of the supernatural actually existing.
Yeah, apparently you're not. That doesn't resemble my beliefs at all.
Subjective evidence can certainly be ignored, isn't really all that genuine, and doesn't give us a good indication of much of anything.
But I give you an example of how a supernatural hypothesis could be objectively evidenced by prediction and verification and you tell me that you would never accept that evidence!!!
Quote me saying that.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 601 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 9:53 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 610 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:28 AM New Cat's Eye has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 608 of 693 (711785)
11-22-2013 10:23 AM
Reply to: Message 606 by jar
11-22-2013 10:18 AM


Re:
Straggler writes:
The hypothesis is that those who are more devout will receive healing powers from GOD.
jar writes:
As I said, I don't see anything in your example related to the supernatural.
Do you agree that the hypothesis in question has been evidenced by verified prediction in the scenario as described?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 606 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:18 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 609 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:25 AM Straggler has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 424 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 609 of 693 (711786)
11-22-2013 10:25 AM
Reply to: Message 608 by Straggler
11-22-2013 10:23 AM


Re:
I see the hypothesis as flawed from the beginning. I see no test of the supernatural in your example.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 608 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:23 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 611 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:29 AM jar has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 610 of 693 (711788)
11-22-2013 10:28 AM
Reply to: Message 607 by New Cat's Eye
11-22-2013 10:22 AM


Re: What happened to methodological naturalism?
Right - I've described, through example, how a supernatural hypothesis could conceivably be objectively evidenced using the hypothetico-deductive method.
You don't seem to disagree with that in principle so I'm baffled as to what we are arguing about....?
I certainly haven't said "science has explained the supernatural". Not in the healing scenario. Not anywhere. So I really don't know where you plucked that accusation from.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 607 by New Cat's Eye, posted 11-22-2013 10:22 AM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 614 by New Cat's Eye, posted 11-22-2013 11:20 AM Straggler has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 611 of 693 (711790)
11-22-2013 10:29 AM
Reply to: Message 609 by jar
11-22-2013 10:25 AM


Re:
Tell me how it is flawed.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 609 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:25 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 612 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:35 AM Straggler has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 424 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 612 of 693 (711791)
11-22-2013 10:35 AM
Reply to: Message 611 by Straggler
11-22-2013 10:29 AM


Re:
Sorry but I get tired of repeating the obvious. Go read what I write.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 611 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:29 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 615 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 11:47 AM jar has replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 613 of 693 (711793)
11-22-2013 10:53 AM
Reply to: Message 598 by Dogmafood
11-22-2013 7:18 AM


Re: It's All In your Mind
ProtoTypical writes:
But logic tells us that belief should only come in when you do not need to make any more adjustments.
What's the difference between not needing to make any more adjustments and not being able to make any more adjustments?
ProtoTypical writes:
The religious mind refuses to adjust the faulty premise.
You're over-generalizing. Some religious minds refuse to adjust some faulty premises. "The" religious mind just doesn't stop when it runs out of verifiable premises.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 598 by Dogmafood, posted 11-22-2013 7:18 AM Dogmafood has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 658 by Dogmafood, posted 11-25-2013 8:09 AM ringo has replied

  
New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 614 of 693 (711795)
11-22-2013 11:20 AM
Reply to: Message 610 by Straggler
11-22-2013 10:28 AM


Re: What happened to methodological naturalism?
Right - I've described, through example, how a supernatural hypothesis could conceivably be objectively evidenced using the hypothetico-deductive method.
You don't seem to disagree with that in principle so I'm baffled as to what we are arguing about....?
I dunno. I made a general reply that science can witness anything, but its explanations are limited to natural ones.
And then you started getting into how science could witness the supernatural.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 610 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 10:28 AM Straggler has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 617 by Straggler, posted 11-22-2013 11:57 AM New Cat's Eye has replied

  
Straggler
Member (Idle past 95 days)
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 615 of 693 (711797)
11-22-2013 11:47 AM
Reply to: Message 612 by jar
11-22-2013 10:35 AM


Predictions
Presumably you mean your standard response - "How do you know it is GOD" in response to the hypothesis in question.
But this is like asking Einstein "How do you know it is spacetime curvature" when he hypothesised that spacetime curvature was the cause of gravitational effects.
The answer - Obviously - Is that you can only claim to know your hypothesis is correct when it has been tested.
I have described to you how a supernatural hypothesis can be tested using the hypothetico-deductive method. I have described how a suprentural hypothesis couls conceivably be evidenced by virtue of verified predictions.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 612 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 10:35 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 616 by jar, posted 11-22-2013 11:56 AM Straggler has replied

  
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