Ask a Christian philosopher a question

[Chriliman]

We seem to know more and more about reality as time goes on, would you agree?

Because we don't know everything, seems to give some folks inner turmoil and they have to make stuff up, to fill that gap.

Follow the lead of Hitchslap, watch the Dennett video, and he explains the need to believe very well.

I think the real question is: How did I, a mere internet troll, touch on a topic that an expert like Dr. Dennett touched on. I've never heard of Dr. Dennett, yet I already know why we have a need to believe, without consulting Dr. Dennett. How is this possible? Am I an expert? Surely not.

 

[bhsmte]

I think the real question is: How did I, a mere internet troll, touch on a topic that an expert like Dr. Dennett touched on. I've never heard of Dr. Dennett, yet I already know why we have a need to believe, without consulting Dr. Dennett. How is this possible? Am I an expert? Surely not.

Lay people are often interested in the same topics experts are. Laypeople, just don't have the expert knowledge on the same, that an expert would.

 

[HitchSlap]

The question then is: Why don't we know everything? What is limiting us from knowing everything? Why did the process of evolution make us in such a way that we are limited in our knowledge of reality? Why do we have an inherit need to believe in things and why is God still a viable possibility to believe? Why can we ask questions like this?

It seems obvious that we're meant to ask questions like this.

These are all great questions, and we should be asking them.

 

[Chriliman]

That's a "no", then?

Not necessarily. The critter that made tentative assumptions about things may have a slight evolutionary advantage over its competition that could not, or not as well. Selection pressure, even slight, favoured those critters. The other ones have fewer offspring, or die out, and lose the chance to become our ancestors.

Evolutionarily speaking, it may have given our ancestors a slight advantage over their competition. It may be the by-product of some other evolved and inherited trait.

"Souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens, intelligent designers, government conspirators, and all manner of invisible agents with power and intention are believed to haunt our world and control our lives. Why?"

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/skeptic-agenticity/

How are "gods" a viable possibility? Explain. What is a "god"?

My childrens' biology class did spend a day or two on creationism, just to go over how it does not comport with science.

Do you consider all education that you disagree with to be "brainwashing"?

No, I consider submitting yourself to the experts and not thinking for yourself as being brainwashed.

 

[Davian]

No, I consider submitting yourself to the experts and not thinking for yourself as being brainwashed.

Are you an expert in the modern philosophy of mind?

 

[Chriliman]

These are all great questions, and we should be asking them.

Problem is, every single human being on the planet asks the same questions. Who's got the answers?

 

[Chriliman]

Are you an expert in the modern philosophy of mind?

I think we all can be, if we apply ourselves to finding the truth no matter where it leads.

 

[Davian]

I think we all can be, if we apply ourselves to finding the truth no matter where it leads.

Do you drive a Dodge?

 

[Davian]

Problem is, every single human being on the planet asks the same questions. Who's got the answers?

Who is just making them up as they go along?

 

[Chriliman]

We seem to know more and more about reality as time goes on, would you agree?

Because we don't know everything, seems to give some folks inner turmoil and they have to make stuff up, to fill that gap.

Follow the lead of Hitchslap, watch the Dennett video, and he explains the need to believe very well.

What if there's never a gap that can't be filled with God? What does that say about God? It definitely does not say God must be false. Instead, it says God is an extremely durable concept that has held up very well over the time that humans have had a chance to disprove the concept. That brings up another question: Why are scientists so afraid to fill gaps with God? If God turns out to be false then filling those gaps with God, really doesn't matter.

If God turns out to be true, then what? Aren't we at the mercy of God at that point?

 

[bhsmte]

What if there's never a gap that can't be filled with God? What does that say about God? It definitely does not say God must be false. Instead, it says God is an extremely durable concept that has held up very well over the time that humans have had a chance to disprove the concept. That brings up another question: Why are scientists so afraid to fill gaps with God? If God turns out to be false then filling those gaps with God, really doesn't matter.

If God turns out to be true, then what? Aren't we at the mercy of God at that point?

It says people will put God in the gap whenever they can, because they need to. Nothing more, nothing less.

If God turns out to be true, then he turns out to be true.

 

[bhsmte]

I think we all can be, if we apply ourselves to finding the truth no matter where it leads.

Some people apply themselves by making stuff up.

 

[Davian]

What if there's never a gap that can't be filled with God? What does that say about God?

Virtually nothing. A mystery filler for mysteries.

It definitely does not say God must be false.

Define what you mean by "god" in some testable manner.

Instead, it says God is an extremely durable concept that has held up very well over the time that humans have had a chance to disprove the concept.

You have yet to define "God" in some testable, falsifiable manner.

That brings up another question: Why are scientists so afraid to fill gaps with God?

It is not fear. It is because your "god" is of no scientific significance.

If God turns out to be false then filling those gaps with God, really doesn't matter.

Pascals Wager fail. Intellectual integrity fail.

If God turns out to be true, then what? Aren't we at the mercy of God at that point?

Which god? How do you know you have the right one?

 

[Davian]

They are soft back books.

Do any of those books have details for how a human being could still be alive after all this time?

 

[Ana the Ist]

I'm glad you can admit that



To me that is the problem with Atheism. Atheists will agree to not believe in God, but then continue to try and figure out reality and not understand why they can't figure it out in a way that brings all of reality together in a way that makes sense to them personally.

According to you.

I understand reality just fine.

 

[Davian]

...
To me that is the problem with Atheism. Atheists will agree to not believe in God, but then continue to try and figure out reality and not understand why they can't figure it out in a way that brings all of reality together in a way that makes sense to them personally.

Mind reading fail. I do not presume that all of reality can be figured out in a way that makes sense to me personally.

For example, I don't expect to fully understand complicated astrophysics. Quantum mechanics. Women.

This is closer to how I perceive Atheism.

How can atheism be a religion if it lacks beliefs, tenets, prayer, worship, dogma, etc? Or are you using the word in the pejorative?

 

[oi_antz]

It's generally accepted by all scholars that without the benefit of Constantine's insistence of using Christianity as a political tool, Christianity would not enjoy the popularity we see today.

I have two questions about this:

How can that possibly be known to be true?
Why have you assumed that Constantine was not compelled to embrace Christianity due to a perceived threat against his power?

 

[oi_antz]

What do you mean by "transpire generations"?

According to information derived from the bible, the lifespans of some key figures in Genesis are estimated as follows:

Adam 4026 - 3096 BCE.
Methuselah 3339 - 2370 BCE.
Noah 2970 - 2020 BCE.
Shem 2468 - 1868 BCE.
Abraham 2018 - 1843 BCE.
Isaac 1918 - 1738 BCE.
Jacob 1858 - 1711 BCE.
Moses 1593 - 1473 BCE.

This demonstrates that when we consider the possibility that the accounts in Genesis are true, it is possible that Adam walking with God in the Garden of Eden could have discussed God's process of creation, and conveyed his understandings through subsequent generations, until Israel became enslaved in Egypt. During that period, 1711 - 1513, the knowledge must have been severely threatened by potential loss, until Moses came to record it. The following article states the same three possibilities that I too have been suggesting:

All the information contained in the book of Genesis relates to events that took place prior to Moses’ birth. It could have been received directly by divine revelation. It is obvious that someone had to receive the information relating to the events prior to man’s creation in that way, whether Moses or someone prior to him. (Ge 1:1-27; 2:7, 8) This information and the remaining details, however, could have been transmitted to Moses by means of oral tradition. Because of the long life span of men of that period, the information could have been passed from Adam to Moses through just five human links, namely, Methuselah, Shem, Isaac, Levi, and Amram. A third possibility is that Moses obtained much of the information for Genesis from already existing writings or documents.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001650#h=3

 

[oi_antz]

It appeared to be constructed so as to have me defend a position that I do not hold.

Information that I do not have.

I did not see it as right or wrong.

I don't know if you are even wrong.

Is it correct for me to believe that you do think it is possible the information in Genesis originated with Adam's reliable account of witness, and one way or another came through subsequent generations, to Moses?

 

[oi_antz]

It appears that our self-declared Christian philosopher isn't too keen to answer questions, even though that is ostensibly why he began this thread. I'd pretend to be surprised, but I'm not.

Do you think I might be able to help you to see a Christian view of a philosophical issue? I have always respected your questions.