(March 14, 2013 at 4:45 pm)apophenia Wrote:(March 14, 2013 at 4:30 pm)Baalzebutt Wrote: By way of comparison, early religion looked at what they knew from the world around them and concluded "god". At the time, it was a reasonable assumption. So that's all I am saying about mind/brain. With current knowledge, it is reasonable to conclude they are one and the same.
So, you're arguing that because an analogous deduction was faulty, we should have confidence in this one? Not sure I follow your logic here, nor that I would agree that the situations are analogous. (Partly due to specific features of the respective problem spaces, and partly because it sounds to be coming from a position of ignorance concerning the history of various religions, and specifically the philosophical cultures surrounding them.) Moreover, we have better knowledge of the ways in which such reasoning can go wrong which are specifically applicable to this question, disregarding those "reasonable" ideas would make your conclusion other than that which is most reasonable; that would make your conclusion somewhat irrational and unreasonable.
I am not necessarily arguing we should have confidence in it, simply that it is what currently makes sense. Think of it, if you will, as a premise from which to experiement and investigate.
You are correct in that I have little knowledge of religion and philosophical culture. The point I was trying to make is that, lacking a solid scientific theory, sometimes it is reasonable to make assumption based on the knowledge you have and incorporate or increase the knowledge with that assumption as a starting point.
I have to be honest with you, Apo. It frightens me to debate with you. Time and time again, you have shown a vast array of knowledge and understanding that sets you apart from virtually everyone else on this forum. You are intelligent in the extreme, a concise and witty debater and overall quite interesting. I love reading your posts but I don't want to be on the other side of them.
In a battle of ideas, you are a ICBM mounted nuclear device and I am a poorly crafted pellet gun.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." -Einstein
