Devans99
1.2k
Okay...so you agree..."I do not know" is the answer — Frank Apisa
No: I think the answer is that there probably are aliens.
Probability is how we judge the merit of inductive truth, how we differentiate between weak and strong inductive truth. This is a more refined approach than guessing (but if you take a guess, probably your subconscious uses statistics anyway so there is no escaping probability). — Devans99
Oh, my...you know exactly how I'd respond...and you did not want that response. — Frank Apisa
Grow some balls. — Frank Apisa
ArguingWAristotleTiff
3.4k
If someone can point to "God" and I can see him/her, I am willing to entertain believing again. — ArguingWAristotleTiff
I asked if there are any sentient beings on any planet circling the nearest 25 stars to Sol. — Frank Apisa
If you could see a god...you would not have to guess...or "believe" as you put it. — Frank Apisa
Devans99
1.2k
I asked if there are any sentient beings on any planet circling the nearest 25 stars to Sol. — Frank Apisa
The answer is 'yes, probably'. Not 'I don't know' because we have just discussed inductive evidence in favour of the proposition. — Devans99
You are confusing being agnostic with being an agnostic atheist or an agnostic theist. The difference is that someone who is purely agnostic tends to take a neutral stand regarding whether or not God exists, because they do not want to take either side of the argument when they don't know either way. — Maureen
Are we headed towards a full circle on this line of reasoning? — ArguingWAristotleTiff
SophistiCat
722
You are confusing being agnostic with being an agnostic atheist or an agnostic theist. The difference is that someone who is purely agnostic tends to take a neutral stand regarding whether or not God exists, because they do not want to take either side of the argument when they don't know either way. — Maureen
The original meaning of agnostic - a term coined by Henry "Darwin's Bulldog" Huxley - is precisely as you say: someone whose position is that they don't know (as opposed to gnostics who do). Of course, Huxley had a lot more to say on the subject than just repeating his thesis over and over and disparaging anyone who might disagree as stubborn, stupid or dishonest. — SophistiCat
I do not know if gods exist or not;
I see no reason to suspect gods CANNOT EXIST...that the existence of gods is impossible;
I see no reason to suspect that gods MUST EXIST...that gods are needed to explain existence;
I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction...
...so I don't. — Frank Apisa
NKBJ
709
↪Frank Apisa
I'm saying I'm very much justified in saying it doesn't exist given the lack of evidence that it does. — NKBJ
And, if you do not care about logic...it makes sense. — Frank Apisa
Anyone pretending they can make a probability estimate in either direction...is (in the vernacular) playing with him/herself. — Frank Apisa
Of course, Huxley had a lot more to say on the subject than just repeating his thesis over and over and disparaging anyone who might disagree as stubborn, stupid or dishonest. — SophistiCat
This is actually an inaccurate definition, since nothing at all is known for certain. — Maureen
Even scientific "facts" such as the nature of the earth's rotation are not known with 100 percent certainty to be true. — Maureen
With that said, it may indeed be justified for you to claim that there are no Gods, but there is still a possibility that there are Gods nonetheless. — Maureen
NKBJ
711
And, if you do not care about logic...it makes sense. — Frank Apisa
:roll:
Well, you go off to Princeton and make sure that you watch out for those goblins and chimera and vampires you don't know don't exist on your way! — NKBJ
NKBJ
711
↪Frank Apisa
When you come back:
Knowledge is defined as "justified, true belief." I believe there are no gods. It's justified for me to claim there are no gods. And if there are no gods then my belief is true as well.
I might be wrong. It's always possible to be wrong. But I neither believe that I am wrong, nor would I be justified in believing myself to be wrong. So I am fully justified in claiming to know that there are no gods.
Until there is any evidence for gods (or any of the mysterious things you're nebulously pointing to that "might" exist), thus providing any justification whatsoever for the other side, I am correct in claiming to know there are no gods.
Innocent until proven guilty. Or in this case, non-existent until proven otherwise. — NKBJ
S
9k
Anyone pretending they can make a probability estimate in either direction...is (in the vernacular) playing with him/herself. — Frank Apisa
With regard to God, I haven't seen any reasonable argument for making any assessment on probability whatsoever. And 50/50 is a probability assessment. — S
Correct...which is why I would not make it.
I merely say that I do not know. — Frank Apisa
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