Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: July 25, 2025, 1:15 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
WLC: "You can't prove the negative"
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative"
(February 16, 2022 at 7:18 am)Fake Messiah Wrote: There is some video that youtube algorithm has been recommending to me LINK and that is how William Lane Craig is supposedly "owning" some atheist student who told him how god can't be disproved because "you can't prove the negative". To which WLC says it's not true and that you can prove the negative.

And then WLC gives examples, like:

"We can prove there are no living T-Rexes"

Not really. One (scientists) can give great odds that there are no living T-Rexes but no one can prove 100% that some T-Rex is not hiding somewhere, the probability is extremely small, but it still exists. And indeed, there are some people who believe that dinosaurs still exist, or at least that they could exist.


"We can prove there are no Muslims in the US Senate"

And how can he prove that someone is not a secret Muslim in the senate? Not to mention that many Christians believe that Obama is (secretly) a Muslim because you can't prove with 100% certainty that Obama is not a secret Muslim.


"You can show that if something is self-contradicting that it can't exist"

In that case, God doesn't exist because as an omnipotent being he would have to be able to create a rock that he can't lift. But I guess you could always say "have you looked everywhere?" Even if something doesn't make sense it doesn't mean that it is 100% sure it doesn't exist.

And as a "self-contradicting" thing/ example he goes with:
"There are no married bachelors"

Well, I guess I could say "have you looked everywhere?" but this is wrong because it doesn't mean that if someone is married that he is not a bachelor. Take polygamists men - some guy has two wives, but is still looking for the third one and fourth wife - so he is in a way a bachelor.   Or men who are in gay marriage - an institution that Craig certainly doesn't acknowledge, so to him a gay man married to some other man is a bachelor.

So what do you think, is WLC right? Can one prove the negative, as he says, or does it go so far that one can only give good probabilities that something doesn't exist?
Well I can't base belief on not being able to disprove a claim, as this is fallacious, and the word disprove is a little vague, even before we address which concept of deity, if it's unfalsifiable then of course you can't disprove it. Just as no one can disprove we are not all being shadowed by invisible dragons. 

Oh, and WLC is a clown.



Messages In This Thread
WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Fake Messiah - February 16, 2022 at 7:18 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Valkyrie - February 16, 2022 at 7:20 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Anomalocaris - February 19, 2022 at 10:37 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Fake Messiah - February 16, 2022 at 10:23 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by BrianSoddingBoru4 - February 16, 2022 at 11:11 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Peebo-Thuhlu - February 16, 2022 at 7:57 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by GrandizerII - February 16, 2022 at 8:58 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by BrianSoddingBoru4 - February 16, 2022 at 11:22 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 17, 2022 at 12:20 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 17, 2022 at 12:53 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 16, 2022 at 3:22 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 17, 2022 at 9:36 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 17, 2022 at 2:12 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Ranjr - February 16, 2022 at 3:37 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 16, 2022 at 8:51 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 16, 2022 at 9:32 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Cavalry - February 16, 2022 at 10:02 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 16, 2022 at 10:25 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Cavalry - February 17, 2022 at 5:16 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 6:01 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Cavalry - February 17, 2022 at 6:48 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 7:14 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Deesse23 - February 17, 2022 at 8:16 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 17, 2022 at 10:31 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 17, 2022 at 10:48 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Deesse23 - February 17, 2022 at 12:29 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 8:32 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Cavalry - February 17, 2022 at 8:48 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Silver - February 17, 2022 at 8:56 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 9:23 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Cavalry - February 17, 2022 at 9:40 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 10:36 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 17, 2022 at 10:42 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 17, 2022 at 10:53 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 18, 2022 at 12:36 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by arewethereyet - February 17, 2022 at 9:05 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Silver - February 16, 2022 at 9:48 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 16, 2022 at 9:54 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Fake Messiah - February 16, 2022 at 10:40 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 17, 2022 at 8:46 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by DLJ - February 17, 2022 at 5:22 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Pat Mustard - February 17, 2022 at 1:48 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 17, 2022 at 11:29 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Deesse23 - February 18, 2022 at 3:03 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Silver - February 18, 2022 at 12:33 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 18, 2022 at 1:19 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 18, 2022 at 8:43 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by GrandizerII - February 18, 2022 at 1:25 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 18, 2022 at 8:17 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 19, 2022 at 1:52 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by emjay - February 19, 2022 at 10:23 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 19, 2022 at 3:00 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 3:16 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 20, 2022 at 12:05 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by emjay - February 19, 2022 at 8:33 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Angrboda - February 19, 2022 at 11:39 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by BrianSoddingBoru4 - February 19, 2022 at 11:47 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 18, 2022 at 8:46 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Peebo-Thuhlu - February 18, 2022 at 1:43 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by LadyForCamus - February 18, 2022 at 2:03 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 18, 2022 at 9:32 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 18, 2022 at 11:39 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by GrandizerII - February 19, 2022 at 2:27 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 6:51 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 19, 2022 at 8:01 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 19, 2022 at 3:20 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by LadyForCamus - February 19, 2022 at 2:32 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 3:33 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 20, 2022 at 12:15 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by emjay - February 20, 2022 at 11:12 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 20, 2022 at 6:08 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 20, 2022 at 10:50 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Silver - February 19, 2022 at 2:03 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 8:11 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 19, 2022 at 8:33 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 8:43 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 19, 2022 at 8:49 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 8:59 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Grand Nudger - February 19, 2022 at 9:02 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 19, 2022 at 9:23 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Grand Nudger - February 19, 2022 at 3:23 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by LadyForCamus - February 19, 2022 at 5:12 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by emjay - February 19, 2022 at 5:28 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Grand Nudger - February 21, 2022 at 9:53 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Disagreeable - February 23, 2022 at 5:56 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by GrandizerII - February 23, 2022 at 7:37 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Disagreeable - February 24, 2022 at 1:06 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 24, 2022 at 2:53 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Belacqua - February 23, 2022 at 8:01 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 23, 2022 at 8:06 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 24, 2022 at 12:28 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 24, 2022 at 6:36 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Fake Messiah - February 24, 2022 at 1:17 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 24, 2022 at 5:31 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by polymath257 - February 24, 2022 at 6:13 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Deesse23 - February 25, 2022 at 3:26 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Neo-Scholastic - February 25, 2022 at 8:15 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Jehanne - February 25, 2022 at 9:57 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Grand Nudger - February 24, 2022 at 12:43 am
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by The Grand Nudger - February 24, 2022 at 5:36 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Anomalocaris - February 25, 2022 at 8:38 pm
RE: WLC: "You can't prove the negative" - by Sheldon - May 29, 2025 at 3:10 pm

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Can you prove a negative, part 2 Fake Messiah 7 1328 May 30, 2025 at 9:41 pm
Last Post: Paleophyte
  I will prove to you that God exists Order 696 49885 April 17, 2025 at 5:58 am
Last Post: The Valkyrie
  I will prove to you that Cod exists. BrianSoddingBoru4 10 2020 April 9, 2025 at 2:32 am
Last Post: zebo-the-fat
  I will prove to you The Great Cosmic Penguin exists The Architect Of Fate 1 634 April 8, 2025 at 3:05 am
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  I will prove to you the Borg exists Nay_Sayer 1 617 April 8, 2025 at 2:36 am
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  I will prove to you the Cyril the Space Wombat exists. The Valkyrie 12 2081 April 8, 2025 at 2:28 am
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  I will prove to you Bog exists! BrianSoddingBoru4 4 1054 April 8, 2025 at 2:18 am
Last Post: BrianSoddingBoru4
  I Will Prove To You That Zardoz Exists! Rev. Rye 0 497 April 7, 2025 at 9:18 pm
Last Post: Rev. Rye
  Prove honesty is virtuous! Mystic 15 2732 May 30, 2018 at 7:51 pm
Last Post: Brian37
  WLC, Free Will, and God's divine foreknowledge SuperSentient 15 4039 April 1, 2017 at 2:50 am
Last Post: bennyboy



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)