RE: Disproving Odin - An Experiment in arguing with a theist with Theist logic
March 20, 2018 at 2:01 pm
(March 20, 2018 at 1:46 pm)polymath257 Wrote:(March 20, 2018 at 1:29 pm)RoadRunner79 Wrote: Actually, as far as cause/effect, there is the view that temporally it is simultaneous, but is logically prior. There was a recent example in another thread of a ball breaking through a window. The window breaks as the ball hits the window and transfers energy.
And that was incorrect. The reason that the ball breaks the glass is that the forces induced on the glass from the motion of the ball are sufficient to overcome the forces between the atoms in the glass itself. That is all because of the *physical laws* applicable to this situation. In particular here, it is the electromagnetic repulsion between the electrons of the ball and those of the glass as compared to the attraction between the atoms in the ball and between atoms of the glass that is relevant for the glass breaking.
Without physical laws, the 'logic' would give absolutely no information about this interaction. That is the only 'logically prior' here. The causality is *because* of the physical laws.
And the interaction does, in fact, happen through a period of time. In particular, the reaction of the glass to the ball takes time, it is NOT a simultaneous thing.
I would agree, that there are a series of things which occur in the instance of a ball breaking a window.
Would you agree, that the "physical laws" are just descriptive and do not have a causal abilitiy? The physical laws, give us a way to describe, understand, and model what happens as the force of the ball is transferred to the glass? The physical laws that you are describing is just how things behave. They are not prescriptive, and do not have causal power.
It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. - Alexander Vilenkin
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther