(August 10, 2009 at 8:48 am)The_Truth Wrote: I just saw a website that is discussing a Bus ad that reads, "God is probably not there, so go ahead and enjoy your life". Do you realize the word "probably" can be mistaken and inaccurate? Probably means "more than likely", but I've known tons of people who have said (probably) and they ended up being dead wrong. The word "probably" only comes from a person that is unsure of themself.If someone says "probably", you are quite correct in saying that they mean "more than likely". However to say that only people who are unsure say this is incorrect. Firstly, it matters not that people who say "probably" can be wrong. "Probably" is a measure of probability, and many things can go against the odds. I could say "it'll probably not rain tomorrow" since it is summer and it rarely rains during August here, but this is England. I'm not going to make an assertion of knowledge when I have no knowledge of future events.
Secondly, "unsure of themself" has nothing to do with it. Since these issues are of knowledge that man cannot possibly possess (of godly beings), I am not going to make a statement of knowledge on gods. I will make a statement of belief, and I will make a statement of probability, but not knowledge.
Quote:Probably is only used when a person is uncertain. Atheists claim "they don't believe in God", but they will endorse a bus ad that says "God is probably not there". Atheists go from one extreme to the next.How you got "god doesn't exist" from "they don't believe in God" is quite beyond me. The first is an obvious statement of knowledge, whilst the second (from which you produce the first) is a statement of belief, saying nothing of knowledge.
In one argument, atheists say 'God doesn't exist', but then they turn around and say "God probably doesn't exist".
which one is it?
