The worth of Knowledge

[Faith No More]

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Not really - you have completely ignored the subtlety of probability. We can always estimate the probability of existence of mythical creatures such as unicorns, based upon the fact that these beasts (it was once claimed) existed on earth. The earth is finite and we have explored a great deal of it including satelite coverage. So, if somebody were to claim that they had seen a herd of unicorns the claim could be challeged. We could certainly state that the probability was extremely low. However, since these are mythical creatures, which, by definition, nobody believes in them anymore, this would seem to be an pointless academic exercise.

Loch Ness monster is similar, in that the probability could be estimated, but it is not yet a myth - since people still seriously claim that it exists and offer varying degrees of evidence.

So you see the really important thing is whether it is possible to estimate the probability.

With the concept of God, claims are being made and evidence offered, but the evidence is largely subjective. The result is that no estimate of the probability of existence can be formed. If 'those that believe' claimed that God was like a Unicorn i.e. a real living beast on earth that had somehow evaded detection, at least we could search the planet and then confidently say His existence is unlikely. With God, however, the claim(and I emphasise claim) is that He is all around us but in another dimension. Since we cannot detect Him, either He does not exist or, our understanding or detection methods are not yet developed enough. But how do we know which is true, since Humankinds current state of knowledge could be just a drop in the ocean of what is to come!

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