(May 17, 2015 at 12:09 am)robvalue Wrote: ... I'm open to absolutely anything, if it's backed up by appropriate evidence and arguments.
...
My guess is, you have raised his hopes with the first part of that sentence, but you have told him with the second part of the sentence that you are not going to be open to nearly as much as one might guess from just the first part.
There are some ridiculous things that cannot be backed up by "appropriate evidence and arguments," and the set of those things is surprisingly large, which can be seen by considering the various foolish things people actually believe.
The discussion thus far is making me think of David Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X "Of Miracles," in which Hume basically argues that it is never reasonable to believe stories of miracles. You can read it here:
http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/341
If you want to discuss it, we can do so privately, or you can start a new thread about it.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
