The Impossible

[Resha Caner]

No, it could show that bitter water does not detect adultery.

No doubt. Neither do I doubt CabVet's example of death. There are conditions under which I'm sure resurrection is impossible.

So, technically, you satisifed the OP, but it seems a rather hollow victory to me.

 

[essentialsaltes]

No doubt. Neither do I doubt CabVet's example of death. There are conditions under which I'm sure resurrection is impossible.

So, technically, you satisifed the OP, but it seems a rather hollow victory to me.

I can't help that the original question was not a very interesting one.

 

[Resha Caner]

I can't help that the original question was not a very interesting one.

And yet you answered.

I left it vague on purpose - to see what people would do with it. I didn't expect CabVet to use it as a challenge against the Bible. As I said, my expectation was more along the lines of jayem's response ... and I'd still be interested in exploring that one.

But the challenge was interesting. It doesn't have to draw to a close, but your reply seemed that way to me.

 

[Non sequitur]

What would science say is impossible?

That it can prove the supernatural.

(Although, science is more of a vetting process and speaks of degrees of certainty...)

 

[Resha Caner]

That it can prove the supernatural.

(Although, science is more of a vetting process and speaks of degrees of certainty...)

Ha! I'll give you an A+ for that one.

 

[Non sequitur]

Ha! I'll give you an A+ for that one.

Did I win anything?

 

[Resha Caner]

Did I win anything?

My admiration isn't enough ... no, probably not. I gave your post a pump.

 

[jayem]

I think this would be another impossibility:

Transfer of heat from an object of lesser temperature to one of greater, in a closed system, without any other application of energy.

 

[CabVet]

And yet you answered.

I left it vague on purpose - to see what people would do with it. I didn't expect CabVet to use it as a challenge against the Bible. As I said, my expectation was more along the lines of jayem's response ... and I'd still be interested in exploring that one.

But the challenge was interesting. It doesn't have to draw to a close, but your reply seemed that way to me.

I only used as a challenge against the Bible after miracles and "God did it" were posted. My resurrection example was not a challenge against the Bible, but rather something I truly think is impossible.

 

[durangodawood]

I think this would be another impossibility:

Transfer of heat from an object of lesser temperature to one of greater, in a closed system, without any other application of energy.

It is possible for all the diffuse gas molecules in a chamber to gather into one tight little corner. Its just outrageously unlikely.
.

 

[jayem]

It is possible for all the diffuse gas molecules in a chamber to gather into one tight little corner. Its just outrageously unlikely.

What I was thinking of is thermal radiation. Transfer of heat energy by EM waves, not by convection. I'll clarify it: We have 2 objects, one at a high temperature and one at a much lower temperature sealed in a perfect vacuum. We do nothing but recheck the temps after a while. We'd expect the temperature of both objects to equilibrate. We'd not expect to find that the hot object has gotten hotter, while the cooler one is now colder. That would be a reversal of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. If that's not impossible, it would absolutely be a miracle.

 

[Strathos]

An apt analogy I like to use for miracles is to treat the universe as a computer simulation, with God as the programmer. Normally everything within the simulation is governed by the code of the program (which would be understood by scientists as the laws of physics).

A miracle is when God temporarily rewrites the code to allow things to happen that would be impossible in normal circumstances.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I would say that the laws of nature are known inductively, and induciton is always probablistic. Therefore nothing can be ruled out absolutely.

 

[Loudmouth]

So is this another attempt at the argument, "If God is not impossible then you must present evidence that God does not exist"?

 

[durangodawood]

What I was thinking of is thermal radiation. Transfer of heat energy by EM waves, not by convection. I'll clarify it: We have 2 objects, one at a high temperature and one at a much lower temperature sealed in a perfect vacuum. We do nothing but recheck the temps after a while. We'd expect the temperature of both objects to equilibrate. We'd not expect to find that the hot object has gotten hotter, while the cooler one is now colder. That would be a reversal of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. If that's not impossible, it would absolutely be a miracle.

My example with the gas molecules is also a local reversal of the 2nd law. But as I understand, the 2nd law is absolute as a global trend, and not so for every instance.

 

[Loudmouth]

My example with the gas molecules is also a local reversal of the 2nd law. But as I understand, the 2nd law is absolute as a global trend, and not so for every instance.

People used to say the same of Newton's laws of gravitation. What we need to remember is that reality forms our models, not the other way around.

 

[Davian]

What would science say is impossible?

Immaterial consciousness.

 

[durangodawood]

Immaterial consciousness.

What about immaterial things that arent conscious?

 

[Resha Caner]

Immaterial consciousness.

How so?

What we need to remember is that reality forms our models, not the other way around.

Well, sort of. We make assumptions about what is real and base models on that.

So is this another attempt at the argument, "If God is not impossible then you must present evidence that God does not exist"?

It didn't seem this question was aimed at me, but I'll answer it. No, that was not my intent. I've seen a significant amount of bluster about science showing this or that to be impossible, so I decided to put some focus on the issue. It seems to me science is an attempt to show what we think is possible, and never really shows much of anything to be impossible ... though there are cases of showing something to be highly unlikely.

I'm paraphrasing (and taking great liberty with the paraphrase), but it's interesting to see people working through what they don't believe in ... coming to a conclusion that if some really powerful entity existed it probably would be possible ...

 

[Davian]

Immaterial consciousness.

How so?

It lacks a positive ontology.

It is a term that you have used; perhaps you could explain it.