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Author Topic:   Can we be 100% sure there is/isn't a God?
Peter
Member (Idle past 1509 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 6 of 110 (38412)
04-30-2003 6:37 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Majorsmiley
04-29-2003 5:09 PM


No.
There is no way of knowing whether or not there actually
is a god or gods.
At best we can make some assumptions about what the world
should be like if there is/isn't a god (of any kind or faith)
and see if observations match our assumptions.
But our assumptions are likely to be wildly inaccurate in this
case since none of us know the true nature of any god(s).

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Majorsmiley, posted 04-29-2003 5:09 PM Majorsmiley has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 12 by Majorsmiley, posted 04-30-2003 1:00 PM Peter has replied

  
Peter
Member (Idle past 1509 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 7 of 110 (38414)
04-30-2003 6:41 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by Dan Carroll
04-29-2003 5:14 PM


I thought in science that the opposite was the assumption.
That is that we cannot ever proove something, but we can
refute things (i.e. disproove).
In your example about Mickey, all that is required is for
some experiments to examine your brain activity, the energy
fluctuations around your body, perhaps some other things,
and we could potentially rule out that any signals where
being transmitted to your body ... that would disproove the
proposition.
We could also investigate the liklihood that any Mouse
exists whose name is mickey and is capable of sending
signals.
Science assumes that confidence in something is increased
if the predictions made based upon a theory cannot be
refuted, surely.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-29-2003 5:14 PM Dan Carroll has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-30-2003 10:25 AM Peter has replied

  
Peter
Member (Idle past 1509 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 9 of 110 (38440)
04-30-2003 11:51 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by Dan Carroll
04-30-2003 10:25 AM


I would have thought in logic that one can prove
or disprove something given sufficient data and
validated assumptions.
In science one does not generally speak of proof, but
of weight of supporting evidence.
In my suggestions for investigating you Mickey Mouse
claim you'll notice that I advocated an investigation
of the source (mice named Mickey), the route (the signals),
and the destination (your brain).
If we cannot locate any support for your claim in any of those
investigations then weight of evidence points to the
proposition being untrue ... but that doesn't mean it's
been proved absolutely one way or another.
If, for example, no evidence at all is found then we can say nothing
regrading the proposition. Absence of evidence is not
evidence of absence.
But this is all beside the point ... I spoke to Mickey
and he assures me that it's not him

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-30-2003 10:25 AM Dan Carroll has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-30-2003 12:01 PM Peter has replied
 Message 15 by Flamingo Chavez, posted 04-30-2003 10:49 PM Peter has not replied

  
Peter
Member (Idle past 1509 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 18 of 110 (38564)
05-01-2003 7:27 AM
Reply to: Message 10 by Dan Carroll
04-30-2003 12:01 PM


Oh!!!
I think I have been suffering from 'lack-of-agreement'
syndrome too

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-30-2003 12:01 PM Dan Carroll has not replied

  
Peter
Member (Idle past 1509 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 19 of 110 (38565)
05-01-2003 7:31 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by Majorsmiley
04-30-2003 1:00 PM


I am not making an assupmtion on an assuption,
but a reasoned suggestion that, since none of us
do know the nature of any god or gods, that we are not
in a position to make any validated assumptions in the
first place.
If the liklihood of an assumption being spot on and of
being completely wrong are the same we cannot operate
with that assumption with any degree of confidence.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by Majorsmiley, posted 04-30-2003 1:00 PM Majorsmiley has not replied

  
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