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Relativist

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The issue with the constants straddles the line between physics and metaphysics. Perhaps the values of the constants are set by natural law. If not, t...
April 13, 2020 at 14:08
"Incorrigible= not able to be corrected or reformed. That applies here. This is not an arbitrary assumption we pull out of thin air. No one has to be ...
April 13, 2020 at 13:53
Cool. Thanks!
April 12, 2020 at 23:15
Humans are likewise rare for the same reason. But one could make a fine tuning argument that the fundamental constants must have been finely tuned so ...
April 12, 2020 at 19:22
I regard it as an innate, incorrigible believe that is unanalyzable in terms of a priori principles. In short: it a basic belief, a foundation for eve...
April 12, 2020 at 18:10
And still be rational? Not if the contradiction is truly present.
April 12, 2020 at 17:59
Aren't you implying that the existence of heavy metals doesn't require an explanation for their existence, and therefore neither does life? Arguing wi...
April 12, 2020 at 15:55
That's of course possible, but what's the motivation to propose that? It seems to me the motivation is the premise that our improbable existence entai...
April 12, 2020 at 15:47
That's a reasonable description, but I submit the source of the problem was the perceived explanatory gap that I rebutted in my Op: the premise that l...
April 12, 2020 at 15:43
I believe the Aristotelian deity entails a first cause, so it wouldn't be outside the chain of being. This at least was Flew's interpretation, and I b...
April 12, 2020 at 15:36
[ I'm certain I exist, and I'm aware of my existence. However, I'm also certain the universe was around before me to be aware of it. What makes you th...
April 12, 2020 at 05:12
That's a minimal definition of a creator: having a desire, and the ability to act on that desire. This is the sort of deism Antony Flew ultimately emb...
April 11, 2020 at 22:04
I'd like to get back to the issue I raised in the Op, because I think I have a solution. Intuitively, Mary's luck needs to be explained, but John's lu...
April 11, 2020 at 19:24
Please explain what you mean by a "creative impetus." What are it's identifiable characteristics?
April 11, 2020 at 18:57
You're assuming too much. The FTA, if it were successful, would only entail a creator who wanted life. It does not entail a creator who gives a damn w...
April 11, 2020 at 14:10
Because there can only be an objective if an intelligence is behind it. I'm open to this possibility, but the case mist be made. The FTA purports to m...
April 11, 2020 at 13:57
America Croatia first.
April 10, 2020 at 21:16
I don't follow. One can favor Croations without favoring individual Croations.
April 10, 2020 at 19:34
Yes, and that's related to my Op. Consider the enormous (infinite?) number of possible things that would exist if other universes had existed instead ...
April 10, 2020 at 15:42
The claim is not that the universe is tuned for each specific type of life - that entails a complex set of objectives. It's just the broad claim that ...
April 10, 2020 at 15:30
You seem to be claiming there was an objective to "increase awareness, connection, and collaberation." Why think that?
April 10, 2020 at 15:16
I understand, but here's their perspective: the textbook laws of physics are our best guess at the actual laws of nature, so they are a reasonable bas...
April 09, 2020 at 22:32
Proponents of the modern fine tuning argument accept that life in this universe is fully explainable. What they argue is that life-permitting universe...
April 09, 2020 at 20:19
One of my hobbies (or obsessions) is to debate theists on their Fine Tuning Argument for God (here's my current one - I'm called, "Fred"). I've read a...
April 09, 2020 at 20:13
I've never understood how people can be so confident that their opinions are true, that it implies all contrary opinions are the product of stupidity....
April 08, 2020 at 21:32
Agreed, but can you identify a relavent contradiction?
April 08, 2020 at 00:06
Yes - that's one way to address it, but it depends on the assumption that there is some sort of infinity of possibilities (infinite past, infinite spa...
April 07, 2020 at 21:24
A failure of the FTA does not prove God's non-existence. But if the FTA is a failure, it's one less reason to believe there is such a thing. I'm focus...
April 07, 2020 at 21:21
Lots of people think the FTA is the very best way to prove God. I don't think so, and that's why I'm pondering this issue. Hawking's right, but for th...
April 07, 2020 at 21:16
Sure, the denominator of the probability is still finite - but it's so large that it makes it surprising that any actual person is alive. On the other...
April 07, 2020 at 21:10
I was hoping for a succinct way to say it, and you gave it to me. Thanks!
April 07, 2020 at 19:02
Same here. Even when I'm not alone, I sometimes start singing to myself at a low volume. It annoys my wife. I don't know how many people are like us, ...
April 07, 2020 at 18:39
Most people are not materialists, so you can't say they're ignoring it. It seems to me it's natural to think of ourselves in mental terms. It's reason...
April 06, 2020 at 14:20
I agree.
April 03, 2020 at 19:57
NDE's entail someone being outside their body and observing some things going on around them. How can things be seen and heard without eyes and ears, ...
April 03, 2020 at 19:51
I'm referring to a paradigm of phenomenal consciousness expounded by Michael Tye. He suggests that qualia, like redness, are mental experiences (menta...
April 02, 2020 at 16:13
We can't fully understand redness without having experienced it. Suppose you'd never experience either red or blue, but you knew all the physical aspe...
April 01, 2020 at 16:32
The wording in the survey was problematic. These 2 questions were asked: 1* Do you trust the political news you are getting? 2* When they write or tal...
March 31, 2020 at 22:27
Inspiring words from our beloved leader: "President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronaviru...
March 31, 2020 at 01:21
Right...the words taken out of context sound worse than warranted by in the context of his total conversation. And that conversation just sounds like ...
March 29, 2020 at 02:04
You claimed it was misrepresentative to only play a portion of the pussy-grabbing audio. I pointed out that I had heard the entire audio on CNN, so yo...
March 28, 2020 at 19:27
I heard the entire audio on CNN, and it included everything you said. No one has ever suggested that this isolated clip shows he's a sexual predator, ...
March 28, 2020 at 17:48
Give me some notable examples of CNN spreading falsehoods. I want to understand what you'rw talking about.
March 28, 2020 at 14:00
That seems to be what Trump lovers believe. Confirmation bias is a many splendored thing.
March 27, 2020 at 19:20
That's a myth. See this.
March 27, 2020 at 19:10
Antibiotics are manufactured in sufficient quantity to meet demand. If they were not fed to cattle, less would be manufactured.
March 27, 2020 at 19:05
Yes, she probably would have done better. Consider Trump's various failures: In a National Emergency, Presidential Competence Is Crucial
March 27, 2020 at 14:09
Yes: the quality of the experience itself (the qualia). This is not decomposible.
March 27, 2020 at 01:44
Seriously, when you make such a statement, it just sounds like you're parrotting Trump. Michael was referring to the original definition of "fake news...
March 27, 2020 at 01:29
Name a few of the assumptions you find questionable. I expect thoughtful analysis by experts. I expect the same thing from the Cato Institute and Amer...
March 25, 2020 at 22:42