Posts: 32
Threads: 1
Joined: January 23, 2016
Reputation:
0
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:40 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Aroura Wrote: (January 23, 2016 at 5:17 pm)phil-lndn Wrote: It was a question, not an argument.
You were using the question to make an argument. Questions and arguments are not mutually exclusive.
My only argument is that Christopher has made a truth claim without offering fact and reasoning to support the claim.
Which he has!
(To clarify in case there is misunderstanding here: I'm not actually making any argument about whether there is, isn't or may be a "god" - I personally consider that topic completely irrelevant.)
Posts: 67311
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
162
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:40 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2016 at 5:41 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
That was an awfully roundabout way to call an author belligerent. I doubt he would have argued on that count.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 32
Threads: 1
Joined: January 23, 2016
Reputation:
0
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:42 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:36 pm)Jörmungandr Wrote: All this seems little more than a high brow complaint that Hitchens didn't write the book you'd wished he had. Bo/ring.
No, he wrote exactly the book I had wished for.
I had a wonderful time criticising it :-)
Posts: 8661
Threads: 118
Joined: May 7, 2011
Reputation:
57
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:43 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:40 pm)phil-lndn Wrote: (January 23, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Aroura Wrote: You were using the question to make an argument. Questions and arguments are not mutually exclusive.
My only argument is that Christopher has made a truth claim without offering fact and reasoning to support the claim.
Which he has!
(To clarify in case there is misunderstanding here: I'm not actually making any argument about whether there is, isn't or may be a "god" - I personally consider that topic completely irrelevant.) His claim had caveats, "probably as sure as we need to be", it was not an absolute.
His claim for this was based on lack of evidence. And he offers this lack of evidence and many other reasons in his book. You just don't seem to like them.
Posts: 32
Threads: 1
Joined: January 23, 2016
Reputation:
0
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:45 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:40 pm)Rhythm Wrote: That was an awfully roundabout way to call an author belligerent. I doubt he would have argued on that count.
Christopher took 300 pages to call the bible belligerent, I succeeded with him in a single page :-)
Posts: 67311
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
162
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:45 pm
So do we pop a cork or just clap......?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 32
Threads: 1
Joined: January 23, 2016
Reputation:
0
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 5:53 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2016 at 5:54 pm by phil-lndn.)
(January 23, 2016 at 5:43 pm)Aroura Wrote: (January 23, 2016 at 5:40 pm)phil-lndn Wrote: My only argument is that Christopher has made a truth claim without offering fact and reasoning to support the claim.
Which he has!
(To clarify in case there is misunderstanding here: I'm not actually making any argument about whether there is, isn't or may be a "god" - I personally consider that topic completely irrelevant.) His claim had caveats, "probably as sure as we need to be", it was not an absolute.
His claim for this was based on lack of evidence. And he offers this lack of evidence and many other reasons in his book. You just don't seem to like them.
The claim is not an absolute but it is still absolutely a truth claim because it says "probably".
That word has a very specific rational meaning. Use of the word requires supporting fact and reason to justify use of the word.
Since you seem to be defending it, can I take it that you are happy to take his claim on faith, without any sort of supporting fact and reason?
(January 23, 2016 at 5:45 pm)Rhythm Wrote: So do we pop a cork or just clap......?
False dichotomy (both, please)
Posts: 67311
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
162
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2016 at 6:01 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
The answer to your question, btw, is pretty simple. We have a far better and well evidenced explanation, that's how.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 1494
Threads: 0
Joined: July 26, 2014
Reputation:
14
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 6:03 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:53 pm)phil-lndn Wrote: (January 23, 2016 at 5:43 pm)Aroura Wrote: His claim had caveats, "probably as sure as we need to be", it was not an absolute.
His claim for this was based on lack of evidence. And he offers this lack of evidence and many other reasons in his book. You just don't seem to like them.
The claim is not an absolute but it is still absolutely a truth claim because it says "probably".
That word has a very specific rational meaning. Use of the word requires supporting fact and reason to justify use of the word.
Since you seem to be defending it, can I take it that you are happy to take his claim on faith, without any sort of supporting fact and reason?
(January 23, 2016 at 5:45 pm)Rhythm Wrote: So do we pop a cork or just clap......?
False dichotomy (both, please)
Probably, is not a truth claim it just means as far as we can tell. Since there is no evidence of design or of designers for the universe, as far as we can tell there are none. Its not a matter of taking his claim on faith, all we have to do is look to the lack of evidence.
Posts: 8661
Threads: 118
Joined: May 7, 2011
Reputation:
57
RE: Critique of "God is Not Great" by Christoper Hitchens
January 23, 2016 at 6:04 pm
(January 23, 2016 at 5:53 pm)phil-lndn Wrote: (January 23, 2016 at 5:43 pm)Aroura Wrote: His claim had caveats, "probably as sure as we need to be", it was not an absolute.
His claim for this was based on lack of evidence. And he offers this lack of evidence and many other reasons in his book. You just don't seem to like them.
The claim is not an absolute but it is still absolutely a truth claim because it says "probably".
That word has a very specific rational meaning. Use of the word requires supporting fact and reason to justify use of the word.
Since you seem to be defending it, can I take it that you are happy to take his claim on faith, without any sort of supporting fact and reason?
(January 23, 2016 at 5:45 pm)Rhythm Wrote: So do we pop a cork or just clap......?
False dichotomy (both, please)
Do you take it on faith that there are no invisible purple unicorns prancing around you this very minute? Or that you are being screwed up the butt by beings from another universe who can make pleasure themselves without you realizing it? Or do you just assume these sorts of things aren't real because there is no evidence to support them?
If someone makes a truth claim to you, that there are invisible purple unicorn from another dimension screwing you in the ass right this minute, but you cannot feel it because they are outside our dimension, what would your response be?
|