(November 23, 2010 at 12:19 am)cdog Wrote: So, Arcanus, do you believe God can in no way be measured or tested, and also his influence on anything measurable or testable can in no way be measured or tested? I'm not sure if that's what you actually believe, but that's what I'm getting ...
The question is blatantly a scientific one. As Shermer asked, what is the operational definition of God, in terms of a specific process or set of tests, the quantifiable criteria by which one could falsify (i.e., "reject" or "not reject") the null hypothesis of God's non-existence through observable experiment? Without definitions, criteria, observations, etc., a scientific inquiry cannot even start. Worse yet, and perhaps the most important point, this universe is the only one we have access to, whether God exists or not, rendering it impossible to falsify either hypothesis.
Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when
called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
(Oscar Wilde)
called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
(Oscar Wilde)