RE: Presentism and Infinite Chain of Past Events
December 11, 2017 at 10:21 am
(This post was last modified: December 11, 2017 at 10:24 am by henryp.)
(December 10, 2017 at 2:49 am)Grandizer Wrote: Most of you have heard the argument from the theist side that an infinite series of past events cannot be possible because to be infinite in the negative direction would be to not have a beginning at all, no starting point from which you can then trace a line from that point to the present. Yet, here we are experiencing the present. So, according to the theist, there seems to be some logical contradiction going on here.
Eternalism (typically associated with the B-theory of time) has an answer to this, which is that time is not how we intuit it to be. Given eternalism, there is no series of past events occurring in a "time-flowing" manner. Rather, all "past events" still presently exist along with present (and with "future") events. So, it seems to me, that no purportedly impossible tracing of the line from "no beginning" to the present has to occur.
But I was wondering how a presentist atheist would answer to this problem. Assuming time actually does flow, with future eventually becoming present, and present flowing into the past, how do you logically trace a line (as a hypothetical eternal being) from "no beginning" to the present point?
By line, I mean in the loose casual sense of the word, not the strictly mathematical definition of it.
Here's the thing with the origins of the universe: It's above your paygrade. At best, all you can do is just parrot what some fancy mathematician/physicist says. And it's not like you're checking their math to make sure you agree with their conclusion. You just pick a person who seems really smart, and decide they are who you agree with.
Just have a bit of humility, and when the topic of the origin of the universe comes up, shrug your shoulders and say "who the fuck knows?" Because the answer to that is both not you and not the theist making whatever argument they are making.
The alternative, is that you take a stance that you can only sort of understand, because you're just some random person watching youtube videos, and smart theists like Steve as seen above, can 'score points' on you, because there's no way for you to speak on the topic with any authority.
