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God is in one of three boxes, if I show you one option is false, do you switch?

Gottservant

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Hi there,

So this is a little philo-theo thought experiment for those of you that like neuroscience. See there is this very well established science that if you are given a choice of three options, and you pick, but then you are shown one of the other options is false, it is statistically more likely that you have chosen the wrong door, based on the fact that you now have only two options to choose from - your odds increase, if you gamble in more and more limited contexts.

The thing is, what if the thing behind one of those doors is God? If you knew that it was more likely that He would be behind the other door, would you switch or does the permissiveness of God - the indifference - put you off increasing your odds all of a sudden? What if I told you that as a habit of thought, putting God off in this way, would make you unlucky in general? Still not interested? What if I told you that where God is, there is always something Christ has created, so in essence, there was no way you could lose, just by committing to increase your odds? Still really not interested?

It's just a thought. I am truly very curious to see what your initial responses will be.
 

Ana the Ist

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The point is

If you think God is behind door A but then you are shown He is definitely not behind door C, do you switch your choice to door B?

Or not?

Why would I if I think he's behind A?

Thanks for clarifying though. I really couldn't make sense of it before.
 
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Gottservant

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Yes, sorry about that, I've got this crazy idea that people need to think about what I say because I do, but frequently I forget to mention the one thing that was given to me to take for granted (myself) - in theory I am supposed to be able to say something ambiguous and then explain it to people who are interested, in the same vein as Jesus Christ, but I've never really been able to pull it off without confusing the Hell out of people. But I digress...

The point is, your odds of finding God increase if you switch to door B.

Why wouldn't you switch?
 
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Ana the Ist

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Yes, sorry about that, I've got this crazy idea that people need to think about what I say because I do, but frequently I forget to mention the one thing that was given to me to take for granted (myself) - in theory I am supposed to be able to say something ambiguous and then explain it to people who are interested, in the same vein as Jesus Christ, but I've never really been able to pull it off without confusing the Hell out of people. But I digress...

The point is, your odds of finding God increase if you switch to door B.

Why wouldn't you switch?

Is there some factor at work that increases the odds if I choose B? If you explained that part I missed it. I would figure the odds for either door would remain 50/50.
 
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Radagast

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See there is this very well established science that if you are given a choice of three options, and you pick, but then you are shown one of the other options is false, it is statistically more likely that you have chosen the wrong door, based on the fact that you now have only two options to choose from

You refer, of course, to the famous Monty Hall Problem (see here). I don't think you have the reasoning behind it quite right, however.

But congratulations for an interesting twist on Pascal's Wager. :thumbsup: I think it's ability to convince people will depend on their prior belief (or not) in God's existence, though.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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So if God IS in one box, does that mean he cannot be in the others too? Maybe the boxes represent our limited reasoning, and God is really "outside of the box".

1 corinthians 13:12

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Then again, maybe its a puppet show?
 
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madaz

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To sum it up-

If I chose one of three boxes, then changed my mind after confirmation that one of the other box's proved negative, I would increase my chances of winning.

Correct, or am I missing something?


Gottservant said:
It's just a thought. I am truly very curious to see what your initial responses will be.

Pleased you omitted the word "Evolution" from your OP. It helps make things a little clearer. :thumbsup:
 
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Ana the Ist

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You refer, of course, to the famous Monty Hall Problem (see here). I don't think you have the reasoning behind it quite right, however.

But congratulations for an interesting twist on Pascal's Wager. :thumbsup: I think it's ability to convince people will depend on their prior belief (or not) in God's existence, though.

Well, I feel like a dumb dumb...because even after reading an explanation of the problem....I still don't get it.
 
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Ana the Ist

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They wouldn't.

See: Monty Hall problem.

The correct answer is: switch.

I read through a rather extensive explanation... it still doesn't make sense to me.

Edit: never mind lol...I get it now. The chances on the unchosen door increases because the door opener has to choose a door not containing the "prize".
 
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com7fy8

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I would find it odd that someone would think God is about "odds" :)

I think our character has a lot to do with if we make the right "choice" about God. So, if my nature is selfish, negative, unforgiving . . . there could be thousands of doors with God behind all the doors, and only one other door and I would pick the other door.

Or, if God were behind every one, I would insist on building one!!

But if I realized that with Christ is all that our Father creates in us . . . well, I have been discovering this, in myself and social relating and other things. I appreciate, also, how He has things and people coordinated with "poetry" . . . except the rhyming is of people and names and things, and stanzas can be groups of Christians sharing :)

So, you could tell me :) Yes :) But I would need to discover this to really know this :)
 
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poolerboy0077

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Ana the Ist

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Well, if we could be certain that one of the world's religions was perfectly true, given the sheer number of conflicting faiths on offer, every believer should expect damnation purely as a matter of probability.



Does this help?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhlc7peGlGg

I really just had to read through the explanation again...I didn't quite comprehend that the reason the unchosen door's probability for success increases...it looked like people were claiming it goes up for no reason, it doesn't. The reason is the door opener always shows a wrong door.
 
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PsychoSarah

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The point is

If you think God is behind door A but then you are shown He is definitely not behind door C, do you switch your choice to door B?

Or not?

Yes, because when you pick option A, you have a 1/3 chance of being correct, but if you switch to B, that is one option between two, giving you a 1/2 chance of being right. It might seem counterintuitive, but it does actually increase your chances of picking right.
 
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