RE: Attn: Theists - What would it take to prove you wrong?
August 25, 2013 at 11:36 am
(This post was last modified: August 25, 2013 at 11:39 am by pineapplebunnybounce.)
(August 25, 2013 at 10:55 am)Theo Zacharias Wrote:(August 17, 2013 at 5:58 pm)pineapplebunnybounce Wrote: No, that's not how it works, control for age, gender, other possible confounding factors and you're good to go. In fact, that design will have greater external validity compared to a "lab type scenario" where the same phenomena happens to the same person over and over again.
I don't think we have to move forward to experiment design when we haven't even have a cause to study these phenomenas though.
long story short: that's not a dilemma, it's done all the time in science.
Are you saying that if God exists, He is not able to affect this world in unreproducible way? Not just God, I think if there is an alien natural beings with technology million years more advanced than what we have now, they can easily affect this world without leaving any evidence at all that can be detected by our current technology if they want to.
You were talking about miracles, yes? I'm telling you it can be studied and analyzed. You're not understanding the reproducible part. It isn't the miracle that has to be reproduced, it's the analysis. If the miracle doesn't happen again, what we say is there aren't enough study samples. But if there are enough study samples (in reality there are multiple miracle claims that are very similar), then the analysis can be done. By controlling for confounding factors we group people with similar properties together such that they are "repeats" of each other. I don't know why I'm explaining this to you since you are so bent on giving god properties that cannot be studied. But this is how many scientific studies are performed. They have their weaknesses but IMO superior to lab studies for this type of investigation.
If you want to go with what you just said. Which is god affects the world in undetectable ways. Then I can say god doesn't affect the world at all. Those are 2 theories that can be generated from the same evidence: which is no evidence of interference. But your theory assumes god. Now you need to justify why it makes sense to make this assumption.
Edit: ok, there are more than 2 theories than can be generated. There are multiple: aliens/christian god/allah/hindu gods/thor/poseidon/zeus/ares/buddha/Gandalf/etc. etc. are interfering the world in undetectable ways. So you REALLY need a justification to say it's your god.
