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How is the validity of this?
#14
RE: How is the validity of this?
(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote:
(March 24, 2010 at 9:43 pm)tavarish Wrote:


Give me an example of "words changing definition", please.

(March 24, 2010 at 5:44 am)tackattack Wrote: B-Yes morals have been subjective. They are also local societal classifications agreeing on what's right and wrong. Some theists use a common morality of the ten commandments transcending lines of community. Who's to say that morality isn't scalable with no moral construct on one end and absolute morality on the other. It could be something that we're developing or evolving to.

Yes, that may be true, but to think that we already know it, and have known for some time, when there are obvious contradictions to such morality in holy books, is a bit arrogant. More to the point, the assertion that a deity that no one can demonstrate objectively has mandated this morality is even more dubious.

I don't know if there are moral absolutes, but I'm fairly certain that such a thing isn't known by anyone definitively.

(March 24, 2010 at 5:44 am)tackattack Wrote: C-God is demonstratable too, albeit far more subjective than math. demonstratability is falsifiability. I can, and have listed many congruent subjective points leading to a course objectively guiding my life demonstrating God's ordering hand.

Ok, I'll play along. Demonstrate to me that God exists.

(March 24, 2010 at 5:44 am)tackattack Wrote: D-Gray Areas= a term for a border in-between two or more things that is unclearly defined, a border that is hard to define or even impossible to define, or a definition where the distinction border tends to move. Such examples would be undefined areas in law, definitions and morality. Do I need to go deeper?

Law, definitions, and morality are all subjective. Of course there are gray areas. I thought you meant it more in terms of metaphysical/spiritual claims and how math can apply to those specific issues.

(March 24, 2010 at 5:44 am)tackattack Wrote: E-Math at its very core is subjective, as it requires a mind for its existence. Math absolutes presuppose a maximum optimal value (yet undefined/ unknown) or intentionally strip variable from an equation, but as there are no known absolutes (only supposed), there is a very historicaly plausable and useful reason to think it is true.

Math, at its core, isn't subjective, as 2+2 would not cease to equal 4 just because humans don't exist. The main reason math is used is because it has universal applications and does not rely on subjectivity, not in the least. If you're talking about math as a descriptive concept of reality, then I'd agree. However, morals, without people to practice them, would cease to exist. There's nothing universal about the moral value of slavery or killing someone.

(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote: A-good article

Good article indeed. If it's the sort of change that's described in the article, then it is neither more or less useful. Words are used to represent specific ideas and notions. When the entire language representing those ideas changes, the words will change as a direct result. It's not a better/worse type scenario, it's just a difference in composition, not context.

(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote: B-I agree no one knows definetively if moral absolutes exist. I think things are indicactive towards us moving towards a better moral, therefore I'm assuming it is going somewhere and the best possible somewhere for it to go would be an absolute.

Morals have been shown to be dependent on the region. Just because we can reach a consensus on something doesn't mean we'll automatically have absolutes. There's not a moral in society that can't be refuted in some way under different circumstances. We as a society don't operate under absolutes, that's why legislation changes. It's not working toward some utopia, it's evolving to suit its environment.

(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote: C-Every time I answer that question it kills the thread.. and I'm rather enjoying this one. I will give one example posteriori. Gary wants to do God's work and decides to help out our church food pantry. Well someone forgot to seal up the food earlier in the week and the veggies have all gone bad. 2 hours till people show up and no vegetables for the bags he's handing out. Typically grocery stores who donate to food banks have a specific day and person who picks up their (usually weekly) donations. Today is not our pickup day so Gary goes to a different grocery store and hopes there's some available, because he's broke. He goes in and speaks with the manager who's about to eat her breakfast and saying a little grace. He explains the situation and she comments about the guy who was supposed to pick up the donations yesterday from a different church cancelled and she was about to have them thrown out. He takes the load of fruits and veggies back. There's exactly enough for mirror amounts in every bag except for 1 bag is shy of kiwi. As the last few people are getting through the line there appears to be just enough bags for everyone today. A joke is made about the last person not getting a kiwi, and the old lady says "I'm allergic to kiwi anyways". Testimonials like this happen every day. They're not the looking for the reason behind 15 years of painful past rationalizations, they're synchronous. This particular example has happened in my church.

People getting enough food is evidence of a God? Would it be too much of a stretch to say that a grocery store that donates to food banks will be more likely to help out a church, even moreso as the manager is saying grace? You're recognizing coincidence. I'd have a few points to make out of this:

1. How do you know it's your Christian God?
2. What does that say about the inverse? The people who were short on food and didn't get rations? Is that evidence for God not existing?

Call me crazy, but there's so much shit going on in this world that if there is a God, I'd hope he wasn't occupied making sure some old lady got her kiwi.

(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote: D-My point was math doesn't try and exclude gray areas by using variables and substitution, probably adding greatly to success. Religion unfortunately is seen in a good vs evil way and people leave out their place in the struggle, somewhere in the gray.

Religion is a gray area, as there are good components and bad components. The question of whether a god exists, is not a gray area. Either he does or he doesn't. Therein lies the black and white.

(March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am)tackattack Wrote: E-Math is a human concept and will cease when humans do. When a wild animal, untouched by human intervention, comes up with a math problem I'll conceed that. You're treating Math as a special case. A human concept is just that, subjectiively based off humans. If Math will exist after humans are gone, why not concept of God?


Math as a concept, yes. That will cease to exist when sentient life ceases to exist. I agree to that extent. The principles guiding math, however, do not cease to exist.

The same goes for God. God can exist objectively, but we have no evidence for such a notion, so it is a null argument.
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Messages In This Thread
How is the validity of this? - by tackattack - March 23, 2010 at 12:20 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by theblindferrengi - March 23, 2010 at 2:01 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tackattack - March 23, 2010 at 3:50 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tavarish - March 23, 2010 at 12:26 pm
RE: How is the validity of this? - by Zhalentine - March 23, 2010 at 12:46 pm
RE: How is the validity of this? - by theblindferrengi - March 23, 2010 at 7:38 pm
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tackattack - March 24, 2010 at 5:44 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tavarish - March 24, 2010 at 9:43 pm
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tackattack - March 25, 2010 at 2:02 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tavarish - March 26, 2010 at 1:18 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by Tiberius - March 23, 2010 at 7:12 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by fr0d0 - March 23, 2010 at 6:33 pm
RE: How is the validity of this? - by libraryowl - March 23, 2010 at 8:18 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by RedFish - March 23, 2010 at 10:19 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tackattack - March 26, 2010 at 3:00 am
RE: How is the validity of this? - by tavarish - March 26, 2010 at 9:33 am



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