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Relativist

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Don't overlook the possibility of higher GDP growth this year, even if it's not 4.1%. Lower taxes have historically been stimulative. The problem is t...
July 30, 2018 at 06:16
You're reversing the burden of proof. The FTA purports to show God's existence is likely. It fails to do that. It's failure has no bearing on whether ...
July 30, 2018 at 06:08
Your wording is loose. The FTA doesn't point to evidence, it fits a hypothesis to a set of facts. This is abductive reasoning, specifically: inference...
July 30, 2018 at 06:02
I am addressing the argument from incredulity that arises from considering only the two endpoints: the quantum fields (as an example of what may be fu...
July 29, 2018 at 19:17
Notice that in his conclusion, Ellis says: "Nothing is wrong with scientifically based philosophical speculation, which is what multiverse proposals a...
July 29, 2018 at 15:01
The best explanation for the order is the existence of laws of nature. That is not correct. The FTA is based on the obsevation that life as we know it...
July 29, 2018 at 03:05
"I think you are missing the main concept of FTA. It is not a proof, and does not present any evidence in support of any particular hypothesis" Do you...
July 29, 2018 at 02:21
"As a theist, I only like it because it shows a bias in atheism of discounting any argument that shows God as a possible answer, solely on a faith bas...
July 28, 2018 at 23:47
You might just as well say: create an algorithm which produces random strings of alphabetical characters and then set it to run indefinitely. You are ...
July 28, 2018 at 23:30
A stone's sentience is only a bare possibility, and that's insufficient reason to take that possibility seriously.
July 28, 2018 at 23:14
Where in Brazil? (I have friends in Curitiba, one of whom is named João). I'm very impressed with your English. -tchau
July 28, 2018 at 21:36
We have an idea of what intelligent behavior is from introspection, psychological study, and philosophical investigation. For example we know that hum...
July 28, 2018 at 21:33
"A Human Life is a set of experiences from birth to death. " The shape of a rock is a product of the many factors that formed it, and influenced its c...
July 28, 2018 at 20:58
"I wrote this already on another thread: AIs just "work". There is absolutely no point in discussing what an AI would need to be to make a human judge...
July 28, 2018 at 20:53
"I don't see it that way. My analysis here comes from applying probability thinking, defined within mathematics, that results in conclusion that there...
July 28, 2018 at 20:25
Does anything ever get destroyed in the world? It depends on how you define "thing" in "anything". If your iphone is dropped from a tall building, it'...
July 28, 2018 at 19:40
It is logically impossible for AI to take all jobs. AI would have to become self-sustaining, so that software and hardware maintenance and constructio...
July 28, 2018 at 19:35
Your analysis depends on the assumption there is something objectively special about life. It's true that the odds are against the existence of life (...
July 28, 2018 at 19:23
"The FTA is a probability argument that says what is more likely. For life as we know it to exist the odds of all the requirements happening as the di...
July 28, 2018 at 19:17
It seems to me that "me-ness" is derived from our innate point of view, not something learned or inferred. Same with "other-ness" - that which is not ...
July 28, 2018 at 18:37
I assume you're using "created" in the sense of a contingent being that is the product of causation. Eternity can simply mean existing at all times, w...
July 28, 2018 at 17:01
"Based on generally accepted observations we have about our reality, there is either practical or an absolute 0% chance that we exist, ultimately, as ...
July 28, 2018 at 14:35
For the FTA to have any utility, it needs to have some persuasive power. No belief is held in isolation, and this makes it difficult to judge an argum...
July 28, 2018 at 05:22
I don't think Rudy's going rogue here- Trump wants Cohen painted as a liar. Team Trump considers this the lesser of two evils. The greater evil is tha...
July 28, 2018 at 02:54
Rudy Giulliani said Cohen is a "pathological liar." “I expected something like this from Cohen, he’s been lying all week. He’s been lying for years,” ...
July 28, 2018 at 02:30
These beliefs are consistent with a natural origin. All living beings have to interact with the world to survive and reproduce. I don't even think the...
July 28, 2018 at 00:01
Here's my theory: Foundational beliefs are those non-verbal beliefs that are innate, and form the basis for the way we perceive the world. For example...
July 27, 2018 at 20:08
Your account is plausible, except for your comment "there is no such thing as reason" - that's overly strong. We do have foundational beliefs that are...
July 27, 2018 at 14:51
Just replacing Mark with the Russians doesn't make it a crime. I believe it would be a crime if Trump encouraged Russia to get information illegally. ...
July 27, 2018 at 04:31
"Not sure what made you think I'd want to discuss this since I didn't so much as mention it." Well, I had the impression you were criticizing me for m...
July 27, 2018 at 04:08
Yes, I made an assertion, and I didn't present an argument. My assertion is based on prior discussions I've had on the topic. If you'd like to discuss...
July 27, 2018 at 02:59
"No idea what you're talking about. " Same here. But let me know if you have any specific questions.
July 26, 2018 at 22:20
"Without the assumption that God must necessarily have all 3 of the characteristics that you list, you don’t have an argument that would be a helpful ...
July 26, 2018 at 21:43
"There is no "free will" so your argument is wrong in premises 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Maybe 6 is technically true but since it would be detrimental to real...
July 26, 2018 at 21:32
Right, but I'm inclined to go with more of a sure thing than to hope for another anomaly. I greatly admire Barrack Obama as a person, and for what he ...
July 26, 2018 at 21:27
I'm with you on the insider/outsider thing being a detriment for Clinton vs Trump, but that was irrespective of being a moderate or progressive. Perha...
July 26, 2018 at 21:17
That is an interesting observation, but it not quite the same thing. To get elected, one needs to be well known. It can be very expensive to become we...
July 26, 2018 at 21:09
That's an interesting observation. There was definitely been a realignment of the parties in the 60s. There used to be "liberal Republicans" (remember...
July 26, 2018 at 21:02
I don't think Clinton lost because she was a moderate, but I'd be interested in hearing why you think so. The only people that I can imagine that were...
July 26, 2018 at 20:55
It's an assumption that entails a causally efficacious necessary being, which is unique (all other necessary "beings" are abstractions, which are not ...
July 26, 2018 at 20:46
You're also not a girl (I assume). There certainly are more differences between bats and humans than there are between boys and girls, but they're sti...
July 26, 2018 at 17:53
Thanks for the link - the analysis is very plausible. It is also disheartening because it has the corrollary "lies don't matter" to the public, and pr...
July 26, 2018 at 17:43
You're reifying logic. Logic is not part of "reality" it is a truth-preserving guide to reasoning. It "exists" only as abstractions exist - within the...
July 26, 2018 at 17:30
" To those who don't regard causation as such though, to those who think causation itself must be explained, something other must be doing that work. ...
July 26, 2018 at 17:22
Consider why we can't know what it's like to be a bat. Among the reasons: our perceptions are based on our world-view, and our world-view is a product...
July 26, 2018 at 17:16
"Then my answer is yes -- one can know what it is like to be such and such. " You should let Thomas Nagel know.
July 26, 2018 at 16:13
A state of affairs is something that exists, so it entails the "existence of non-existence." This is (broadly) logically impossible. Alternatively, to...
July 26, 2018 at 16:00
I used "if" to avoid asserting a negative ( "there is no justification..."). I acknowledge there may be justification of which I am unaware. A belief ...
July 26, 2018 at 15:46
I know, and I was relating an objection: it depends on the assumption that nothingness should somehow be expected in the absence of a reason. A state ...
July 26, 2018 at 15:44
"Why should we think reasons can only be causes? " I didn't suggest there can't be non-causal reasons, I questioned the justification for believing th...
July 26, 2018 at 15:19