Abishalom Wrote:Probability only addresses possibility and that's it.Yeah that's exactly right. So considering there are billions upon billions of planets out there, it's more than sensible to suggest that there's a possibility that some of these planets might have some sort of life on them. The more planets, the higher the probability.
Quote:I thought engineers used formulas, so maybe I'm wrong.The formulas are based around the probabilities of a member buckling or a cable snapping. All a civil engineer can do is 'over calculate' all the members so that it most likely will be able to resist the forces they will be experiencing, because the actual strength of all the members can never be known with 100% certainty.
Quote:I don't play the lottery. Nor am I trying to make a point by appealing to the "possibility" of me winning it.Apply my example to planets. The more 'tickets' i.e. planets, the higher the probability of 'winning' i.e. finding life on one of them.
Quote:Notice how I said earth was the only "documented" (since I figured I'd get a typical response such as yours). Billions upon billions of possibilities and we've only documented 1 life sustaining planet. You cannot keep using the "we haven't discovered them yet" card every time. That putting faith that we will actually discover other life sustaining planet by using your appeal to probability approach (Billions of planets therefore a few more should sustain life).Ok, I see what you're saying about the 'documented' bit. I don't see how this adds to the conversation though? We're limited in how many planets we can document when it comes to other solar systems, so to say that only 1 has been documented therefore the other billion don't have life is being obtuse and misleading.
I'm not putting faith on anything. Probability says there will be other planets with life. Faith comes into in when you suggest that out of billions of planets we're the only ones with life. That's like saying 'I will flip a coin 100 times and it will land on heads 100 times'. It's highly unlikey right? Just like it's highly unlikely that these billions of planets will all be too far or too close to the sun and whatever other properties they need. It's silly to think we're the only ones out there with the right conditions.
Quote:Yeah but he is "guiding the process" and you know evolution can't do that...The species gets guided by its own survival. Those traits that help it survive will remain in the gene pool. Seeing is definitely an advantage, whether it's a piece of tissue sensitive to light or a fully developed eye.
Quote:I did not realize The Da Vinci Code claimed to be an autobiography.The Da Vinci Code speaks of real people from history. Clearly the main characters are fictional though. Does that make the Da Vinci Code non-fiction according to the standards you're trying to push on the Bible?
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
