Maybe he does. But right now I can't get him to summarize the argument in his own words after he confessed he didn't have to understand the argument. ...
A first cause is that which has no prior explanation for its being. Have you proven that you've found something in physics which has been conclusively...
Its a fair point that a few have addressed. I'll note again that I wrote this two years ago, and I would rewrite it to be much clearer now. Not my fau...
There's one major difference. We're discussing the OP, not his theory. If he wants to post his own theory, feel free. If he's not understanding or add...
Fair enough! I know you want to get to these, I just know I can't until you understand the base theory first. What you're talking about is calculation...
In that case, the normal default is you side with the OP's accusation and expect the accused to answer it. If the OP is of course lying or unfairly ac...
Incorrect. I'm declaring a very real critique of his point. Look, throwing out a bunch of quantum physics references and going off on his own theories...
This is a lot of effort to avoid addressing the summary I put forth. Also a refusal to explain to me in your own words what I'm saying to show that yo...
Have you ever heard of a logical fallacy called a "Straw man argument"? A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of...
I wouldn't call it empty. Having a clear definition and distinction allows us to pull a first cause from a hypothetical into a testable distinction. I...
And I have addressed this multiple times. If we don't know whether our universe has finite or infinite chains of causality A -> B -> C etc... What cau...
No, its simply pointing out that its a very exact and simple premise. "That which has no prior cause for its being." That's not vacuous or unclear. Th...
A first cause is as simple as you can imagine. It has no prior explanation for its existence. You can claim free will is a first cause, but now you ha...
Yes, its fundamental entities. A wave isn't a fundamental entity however because its composed of fundamental entities. Its a combined identity, or the...
This has been noted before and I don't agree. Let me sum it up like this. A universe has finite causality. What caused this universe to have finite ca...
I just want to clarify A first cause is not caused. If the big bang is a first cause, nothing caused it. It exists simply because it does with no prio...
First, lets address randomness vs true randomness. First, randomness. When you roll a six sided die, you know there are only six sides that can come u...
We can attribute a starting point anywhere in a chain of causality. For example, when explaining why a ball falls when I let go of it, I don't have to...
It makes plenty of difference. Lets go over a few. 1. A God is not necessary. The universe can have just formed on its own without intelligent life. T...
Not really. Something which has no prior reason for its being was either always there, or not there, then there. Why is that hard to understand? What ...
So then it is something which has no prior cause for its existence, or a first cause. That's my point. That which has no prior cause, is a first cause...
No. The entire point of this thread is to think of about a first cause as part of the natural world, and think about how it would apply to our univers...
Lets go with the theory that what caused the universe was its expansion from the Planck scale. What caused the Planck scale to exist? When you answer ...
Yes it is. Let me explain what probability is. When you roll a six sided die, you know there are only six sides that can come up. Any side has a 1 out...
Conceiving things is the easy part. There is nothing, then, there is something. Its a binary issue. A current state is either caused by something prio...
Let me clarify. You asked me to give you an example of an uncaused cause. I'm not saying this actually exists. While an uncaused cause logically must ...
Sure. An uncaused cause has no rules or restrictions on what it can, or cannot be. But lets keep it simple. A quark appears in the universe, then pers...
Sorry for my anger earlier, you seem smart and I get frustrated when smart people come up with irrational arguments for and against points more becaus...
If you would like to discuss there, I gladly will. I make a rule not to derail other people's threads. However, I did take this as an invitation to re...
This has nothing to do with theological assertions jgill. Forget God. It floors me that I cannot get through to other atheists on this. Truly their fe...
Not a worry Bob! Again, it may have been that I wasn't clear in my writing as well. That's very fair, and honestly where I thought the questioning wou...
What would they present to dispute this? I'm not interested in someone's general non-related claims as I'm sure you can understand. Where in the logic...
No. I'm talking about a system with the greatest existence, material, expressed, and potential would be considered the more moral reality. Take a scen...
Hm, I may have lost you then. I've gone over it several times at this point and I'm not sure what else to tell you. I need something more specific Bob...
Ok, this would be human morality. We'll get there soon. But why do you see it as wrong? The way to take it is to assume that no life exists, but moral...
Possibly. Once something begins, it immediately has relations with anything around it. Something small or large could appear and its gravity would sud...
Ah good. I had hesitated to use that word as I wasn't sure it fit. I've been trying to pare this down as basic as possible. I view an identity as a se...
No, I'm actually not. I don't think it requires an intelligence for there to be a morality, only an intelligence to comprehend a morality. This is not...
I did not summarize everything in the OP, though perhaps I should have. As defined in the OP, morality is "what should be". The point is that all mora...
Nice topic! Are you able to follow what's going on here? I just posted a little summary for Wayfarer above. I would love to hear your opinions if you'...
Just the general industry. Famous philosophers are typically famous for a good reason. I'm more going by George Orwell's six point of writing. Never u...
Hello Wayfarer! I appreciate your contribution to the thread, but this is a fairly special one. I'm building up a case as I go to propose a 'logical s...
My mistake, 'material existence' works better. Alright, as long as you understand the start, we can move into time. Over unlimited time, if nothing el...
We know from studies that self-reporting is riddled with bias, inaccuracies, and conflicting takes. A story is not a fact, regardless of its history. ...
Sorry for the delay Bob. I had to take a break from the forum for a few days to handle other things, but I'm back. This exactly. Yes, you didn't have ...
Then you agree with the OP. A first cause is an 'uncaused cause'. Or something unexplained that is justified by its own existence, that then can enter...
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