Can you help me debate better?

[Alex K]

1. There are no absolute truths, even in the field of scientific endeavour

Especially in the field of scientific endeavour. No, I should better say, there are none, but only science really admits it

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I can mostly only second what ManMachine says, although I think e's a bit too pessimistic about the limits of the application of science and reason.

Yes, the viewpoint "science and reason are unreliable" is not falsifiable, so there will be no hard proof or logical argument to show otherwise.

The trick in debates is to convince the other side that they really don't want to go down this path. For example because

* inconsistent with what they otherwise believe and how they act, and that they are thus
* throwing out the baby with the bathwater if they deny the foundations of logic and empiricism which you would like them to embrace.


Learn about occam's razor, probabilities and logical fallacies

Learn about the history of religions and belief so you can demonstrate to believers the reasons why most people believe, and why they believe what they believe. You cannot be so presumptuous as to claim to know why your individual opponent believes what they believe, but you can try to make them critically examine their beliefs this way.


Last but very important: do not expect to get an admission that you are right straight away on such fundamental isses, if that is your goal, you are in for needless frustration.

No one will tell you: hey you overthrew my entire worldview in a forum discussion, you are 100% correct and I have lived a lie, thanks again for pointing it out.

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There are no absolute truths, even in the field of scientific endeavour

How did you work that out?
How do you know that something that can be infinite can be compared with something that we know it is finite like the physical science?

Since the statement "There are no absolute truths" is paradoxical or rather, self-defeating, I suspect what the ManMachine meant is "We do not know whether there are absolute truths" So for all intents and purposes, we do not have any reliable absolute truths. Of course, you can almost say anything and simply define that that is an absolute truth.