Quote:No, I don't happen to think either of those examples are true. But others do, and have advanced them as serious theories, with evidence to back them up. I'm holding off on judgement because I'm simply not well enough equipped yet to make that decision, but that's beside the point. The idea behind showing you these was to illustrate to you that there are more than two options here, whether you subscribe to them or not. Like it or not, other people believe different things, hence your dichotomy is false, either through your own ignorance of the alternatives, or dishonesty. I'd like to think it's just the former, but the fact that you continue to argue the same tired claim sort of shows me it's the latter.
Now, will you at least admit that there are other hypotheses other than design or chance?
Hypothetically or theoretically anything is possible. So if you want a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question I will concede that hypothetically its concievable there could be a set of circumstances in which neither design or happenstance is the case. Will you agree that by that absurd standard, no dichotomy is true? The fact remains though that for all practical purposes in the real world (not the imaginary hypothetical one) the dichotomy holds true. What have you really gained by dragging out this conversation just so you can say hypthetically the dichotomy isn't true?
Quote:I quite agree, we can ask the question because we exist. But the fact that we do exist doesn't point directly to a creator, nor to random chance. It just points to the fact that we exist. Stop reading new information into things that can't support it.
Its up to the triers of fact to determine the significance. We already know your opinion.
We know that isn't true. Life adopted to the conditions on earth in a universe that has a plethora of other conditions that would allow the only type of life we know of to exist.
Quote:You're just pulling that out of your ass. Funny, I thought you said you weren't dealing in hypotheticals. Because unless you're telling me you've visited every other planet in the universe and seen that they have no life, and to have visited alternative universes with different physical constants and verified a lack of life there, then you really have no basis to make that claim.
No, I said the only type of life we know of to exist.
Quote:Let me rephrase, then: you are saying that since we've never seen life coming from non life, that's an argument against our position, right? Then isn't it also true that the fact that you've never seen a god creating things also an argument against yours?
The case I am making is inferential. If that's your rebuttal then impartial people can weigh our respective arguments and decide for themselves.
Quote:Yes, okay. And we've confirmed the theory of evolution. It... it's been confirmed. We've confirmed it. Go and look it up, if you don't believe me.
As far as I'm concerned evolution is a fact...its Darwinism I am skeptical of.
