Why Evangelicals Are Fooled Into Accepting Pseudoscience

Quote from stu:

What are you trying to get at H?

The product of philosophical logic is either more philosophy OR the logic can be developed scientifically.
You can't develop that logic scientifically with more philosophy!!

Karl Popper's falsifiability - if it is first a philosophical construct as you seem to be suggesting that's all it is - must be something able to be applied as a hard practical process outside of its own philosophical concept for it to become scientific in any way.
It is so able, and because of that it is the scientific method.

If Popper says for instance "must be observable , must be testable" then you have to move away from that philosophical position and be able to confirm observation and testing are possible in reality.

I certainly do not disparage valid philosophy at all. Such disciplines are essential and most worthy.
But I don't try to get it all muddled up into ideas that in some artificial way philosophy is superior or exchangeable with science itself.

The earliest scientists were philosophers of the classical period interested in understanding the nature of the material world. After philosophers developed mathematics they were able to apply math to their studies of the material world and discovered measurable consistencies in nature which were eventually called "natural law" or "laws of physics". With the development of the hypothesis-testing-observation method science soon proved to be prodigiously successful. Of note, however, is the fact that people exploring nature through what we now call the scientific method were, as recently as the early 1800's, called "natural philosophers". In other words what we now call science was still universally considered to be a branch of philosophy 2000 years after classical philosophers knew the circumference of the Earth and that matter was composed of atoms and 200 years after the beginning of what we now call the scientific revolution.

What we now call science became so complex, sophisticated and specialized that 'natural philosophers' (except for the polymaths) had no time for any form of philosophy other than science. Around 1830 the term "scientist" was coined to describe a philosopher who worked exclusively in natural philosophy.

The point I wish to make, Stu, is that science is not separate from philosophy, it is philosophy of a special kind - it's philosophy that can prove its hypotheses through testing and measurement and it can do this only because it restricts itself to studies of the measurable.

Popper's falsifiability is and always will be a philosophical concept employed particularly in that branch of philosophy we call science as will another philosophical concept indispensible to science - cause and effect.
 
Quote from 377OHMS:

Your blathering about science and philosophy is...sickening.

You don't know a thing about either. You make FreeThinker look concise and convincing by comparison. Mental vomit expressed in high-English makes me want to hurl. You are a pedant and a self-important schmuck. You probably work in an Falafel shop
Like I say, no argument , no discussion, no substance. You make it abundantly clear, ultimately cheap snide remarks is all you have.
 
Quote from Trader666:
Wrong. Dark energy and dark matter were hypothesized in an attempt to reconcile differences between "the laws of physics" and observations. Why do you keep posting about things you have no clue about?
Yes, you are wrong and you have no clue.... looking down the wrong end of a telscope as per usual.

Hypotheses need to be reconciled with the laws of physics (why would you put laws of physics in quotes??) not the other way round.

There is nothing known of in the universe that invalidates the laws of physics.
Dark energy and dark matter are hypothesis proposed on separate observations that would not themselves have to be in contention with the laws of physics.

Because the universe is working in ways which were not expected, the hypothesis that dark energy and dark matter might be the reasons, does not make the laws of physics invalidated.

Making the absurd suggestion that it does will be your own weird reasoning.

Quote from Trader666:

We already knew you don't know a thing about logic from your previous posts, but your ability to continue to make a fool of yourself is unsurpassed :p

Logic (from the Greek λογική logikē) is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic
Does it help you feel clever by imagining everyone but yourself is a fool . Do yourself a favor and get meds for that affliction.
So what's your point anyway (as if you ever had one). Logic is present in philosophy and science. So? Who is saying otherwise?
 
Quote from jem:
Now you get it Stu. You have found a Nobel Prize winner telling you there is an appearance of design in our universe. And you found it all by yourself. Very good Stu.
Does this mean your 10 years being a full of shit troll are over?
I have a Nobel prize winner telling me there is no need for what you call design - but is meant to mean intelligent design - in the universe.
You have a built in incomprehension of what a Nobel Prize winner is actually telling me.

Quote from jem:
Read this again and learn...

"But even if there is no such principle, recent developments in cosmology offer the possibility of an explanation of why the measured values of the cosmological constant and other physical constants are favorable for the appearance of intelligent life. "
Were you to ever stop trying to read stuff which isn't there, into already clear explanations that are there, you might one day comprehend like a normal person.

He clearly states that even without a fundamental principle, recent developments in cosmology offer the possibility of an explanation of why the cosmological constants are favorable for intelligent life.

You're hoping cosmology is going to say the explanation is God. Lol. Dream on. Only religion can ever do that as it remains the ultimate non-explanation of all time.

Quote from jem:
You have been lying about this for almost a decade. Do you comprehend the English now? There is currently no explanation for the fine tunings... but... (there is hope for atheists)... There is unproven, unobserved, speculation there maybe almost infinite other universes (or regions with big bangs.)
No. He says nothing about infinite universes. One universe, many big bangs.

Shouting liar along with with your phony choice is being demolished by the very people you like to constantly quote - a Nobel prize winning scientist ,who actually won his distinction within his field of expertise, unlike the many others you like to misrepresent so much.

One universe which actually exists does not propose a possibility of multiverses.
There was never a need for your fake choice between infinite universes or intelligent design anyway. Now your Nobel prize winner tells you no need for possible infinite universes, things could be explained by just one that exists in reality.

Trouble with you Jem for the last 10 years is you've made no progress towards understanding anything at all with your worn out dumb ass non-arguments.

Quote from jem:

first of all stu (not the original logical Stu but this poster who acts like axeman) before you argue with dictionaries, why don't you have the balls to proclaim your "form" of atheism.

you have still not defined your atheism..

do you deny there is a God or do you simply have no belief in God?
I have defined my position on numerous occasions. All you do is ignore every response, make the same weary thick headed argument about what the dictionary states and some brainless comment about agnostic, only to then hopelessly repeat the same question over again.

In every aspect of these religious topics, even though refuted over and over and over again, all you can think of is to constantly drone out the same old dead excuse for an argument for it to be knocked down for the umpteenth time.

That's what the religious virus can do against thinking for yourself ,and in your case, just thinking in general.
 
Quote from Hansel H:
The point I wish to make, Stu, is that science is not separate from philosophy, it is philosophy of a special kind - it's philosophy that can prove its hypotheses through testing and measurement and it can do this only because it restricts itself to studies of the measurable.
I take your point Hansel but you might as well be saying philosophy is science as hydrogen is water. Philosophy is at most not always an essential ingredient in the scientific process anyway. Every philosophical idea that does actually become science itself has moved from thinking to doing. Philosophy is a proposal. Science is what's a helluva lot more.

Trying to blend two necessarily separate and distinct things into one, and calling it "philosophy of a special kind" is just, well, bad philosophy.
 
quote from stu..
I take your point Hansel but you might as well be saying philosophy is science as hydrogen is water. Philosophy is at most not always an essential ingredient in the scientific process anyway. Every philosophical idea that does actually become science itself has moved from thinking to doing. Philosophy is a proposal. Science is what's a helluva lot more.

We may be storming in a teapot here; I don't suppose it's an important issue but.. Philosophy may be proposition but it's proposition that's tested in the crucible of logical discourse. Science is proposition tested in the physical world (because it's the only branch of philosophy that can be tested physically). Since imo science is philosophy anything done in science is done in philosophy. I must confess here that when science was called "natural philosophy" all other branches of philosophy were called "moral philosophy"; in other words a distinction was made at that time that has now come down to the distinction we make between science and philosophy. I would argue though that the distinction we make between pure science and applied science (engineering and technology) leaves pure science essentially propositional.


quote from stu..
Trying to blend two necessarily separate and distinct things into one, and calling it "philosophy of a special kind" is just, well, bad philosophy.

Me - bad philosophy? (gasp). But as I indicate above I don't see science and philosophy as separate and distinct.

This may look like a quibble but I see some epistemological importance in all of this.
 
Quote from stu:

I have a Nobel prize winner telling me there is no need for what you call design - but is meant to mean intelligent design - in the universe.
You have a built in incomprehension of what a Nobel Prize winner is actually telling me.


Were you to ever stop trying to read stuff which isn't there, into already clear explanations that are there, you might one day comprehend like a normal person.

He clearly states that even without a fundamental principle, recent developments in cosmology offer the possibility of an explanation of why the cosmological constants are favorable for intelligent life.

You're hoping cosmology is going to say the explanation is God. Lol. Dream on. Only religion can ever do that as it remains the ultimate non-explanation of all time.


No. He says nothing about infinite universes. One universe, many big bangs.

Shouting liar along with with your phony choice is being demolished by the very people you like to constantly quote - a Nobel prize winning scientist ,who actually won his distinction within his field of expertise, unlike the many others you like to misrepresent so much.

One universe which actually exists does not propose a possibility of multiverses.
There was never a need for your fake choice between infinite universes or intelligent design anyway. Now your Nobel prize winner tells you no need for possible infinite universes, things could be explained by just one that exists in reality.

Trouble with you Jem for the last 10 years is you've made no progress towards understanding anything at all with your worn out dumb ass non-arguments.


I have defined my position on numerous occasions. All you do is ignore every response, make the same weary thick headed argument about what the dictionary states and some brainless comment about agnostic, only to then hopelessly repeat the same question over again.

In every aspect of these religious topics, even though refuted over and over and over again, all you can think of is to constantly drone out the same old dead excuse for an argument for it to be knocked down for the umpteenth time.

That's what the religious virus can do against thinking for yourself ,and in your case, just thinking in general.

1. you are so ignorant of the science, you should be embarrassed.

Whether its trillions of other universes or trillions of other patches of space with different tunings... its the same thing. You were fooled by the nomenclature... and completely misunderstand the point.
To counter the conclusion of tuner... some scientists hope to find other differently tuned universes or patches of our universe. Depending on how you Define the word UNIverse or Multiverse.

2. I notice you still don't have the balls to state your own form atheism.

And yes we know why... as a troll you state there is no God. However, you realize that stance is indefensible in an adult conversation. so you prefer to troll you ass of.
 
Quote from Free Thinker:

jem is at it again. taking a quote and twisting it to fit his indoctrination without hearing what the guy is saying. do these guy sound like they believe "god did it" to you:
Professor Steven Weinberg
am not impressed with these supposed instances of fine-tuning. For instance, one of the most frequently quoted examples of fine-tuning has to do with a property of the nucleus of the carbon atom. The matter left over from the first few minutes of the universe was almost entirely hydrogen and helium, with virtually none of the heavier elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen that seem to be necessary for life. The heavy elements that we find on earth were built up hundreds of millions of years later in a first generation of stars, and then spewed out into the interstellar gas out of which our solar system eventually formed.

The first step in the sequence of nuclear reactions that created the heavy elements in early stars is usually the formation of a carbon nucleus out of three helium nuclei. There is a negligible chance of producing a carbon nucleus in its normal state (the state of lowest energy) in collisions of three helium nuclei, but it would be possible to produce appreciable amounts of carbon in stars if the carbon nucleus could exist in a radioactive state with an energy roughly 7 million electron volts (MeV) above the energy of the normal state, matching the energy of three helium nuclei, but (for reasons I'll come to presently) not more than 7.7 MeV above the normal state.

This radioactive state of a carbon nucleus could be easily formed in stars from three helium nuclei. After that, there would be no problem in producing ordinary carbon; the carbon nucleus in its radioactive state would spontaneously emit light and turn into carbon in its normal nonradioactive state, the state found on earth. The critical point in producing carbon is the existence of a radioactive state that can be produced in collisions of three helium nuclei.
I am all in favor of a dialogue between science and religion, but not a constructive dialogue. One of the great achievements of science has been, if not to make it impossible for intelligent people to be religious, then at least to make it possible for them not to be religious. We should not retreat from this accomplishment.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Christian de Duve
With wide-ranging erudition, De Duve takes us on a dazzling tour of the biological world, beginning with the invisible workings of the cell, the area in which he won his Nobel Prize. He describes how the first cells may have arisen and suggests that they may have been like the organisms that exist today near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Contrary to many scientists, he argues that life was bound to arise and that it probably only took millennia--maybe tens of thousands of years--to move from rough building blocks to the first organisms possessing the basic properties of life.



so is this settled free thinker...

1. do you understand that your Dr. De Duve quote is a quote supporting the idea of directed evolution? do you understand what directed evolution means?



Do you understand the Dawkins video?

Do you comprehend that he says physicists cite the fine tunings of the constants in our universe.

Do you understand those tunings may be evidence of a Tuner. You might not conclude tuner... but there is evidence.
 
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