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That leaves us with the conclusion that there's no reliable way to tell if free will exists, or if determinism exists. To assume determinism, we'd have to assume that forces outside the universe cannot act upon it (and if they can, that they follow set, unchanging rules), and forces in the...

The rules would be the clincher. In the hypothetical situation I'm talking about, all of the matter in the universe would be following specific rules. If the rules are set, the prior and current states of all the objects in the universe would lead directly to the next state via the rules. In...

Some friends and I are actually currently working on this sort of thing. Pagan holidays have been the main inspiration, since crafts and feasting are still a ton of fun when purely secular. It just bums me out that there's just the pocket of us doing it (even current pagan groups seem to be a...

I agree with this entirely. To make an argument that something can ever be 100% sure is a foolish undertaking if you ask me. That being said, is our inability to know something with 100% accuracy a problem with our observations, or a function of the way the universe works. Can we not know what...

I keep forgetting that other places actually have reasonable numbers of atheists. Here in Bellingham/Blaine area, your options are Christian (Lynden, half-way between the two has a gargantuan number of churches, and Blaine has street signs pointing the way to all of the churches in town) or...

Strictly speaking, aren't there different levels of inductive truth? The probability of the sun rising or an object falling is up there pretty high, while prediction of an individual's actions tend to be a lot lower. Given a complete understanding of all the things involved (a person's past...

J, I like the agnosticism/gnosticism compare/contrast. It's very exciting to see someone that remembers what agnosticism actually was meant to be, instead of just the current, popular definition. Fantastic way of describing atheism. I doubt I'll be using it on the boards, but I hope you don't...

This is a tough one. The problem seems to be the definition of religion. So, lets start there: "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual...

Not even a little. Sounds like an opportunity for a fantastic friendship, but if there's no chemistry, then there's no point at all. Without that spark, there's not really a relationship (in the intimate sense of the word) to be had. Personally, I've never tried pursuing a relationship when...

Just a couple things before I start this post. While I feel that none of my requests have been genuinely honored, and the discussion is only getting more absurd, I'm posting in honor of DragonByte Tech, who's keeping calm and rational while continuing the discussion. That being said, lets go...

This is not a matter of semantics. Here's some semantics, the definition of semantics: "the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc." Other posters have clearly defined Law, and your use of it here fits none of the presented definitions. Let me be very clear...

So there's no evidence for either one of these? If there's a force making it possible to make our own decisions (beyond what physics dictates the particles that form us would be doing of their own volition) shouldn't we have found some sign of it? I think that might be what Emyu is really...

Those of us that have provided definitions have given slightly different ones (significantly different in the case of laws), but given more than enough information to determine just what each of us means. Emyu, your definition of law was pretty different from the others, but I'm going to have to...

Newtons "laws" of gravity are known to be incorrect. They have been proven to be incorrect. The reason we still use them is because it's easier to comprehend and calculate things using these rules on a scale that comes up on a regular basis for humans. There is no paradox: they are incorrect...

There's quite a few of my questions/requests I presented to you that I'm hoping to see responses to. For now, I will respond to what I've been given to work with. Unfortunately, this is incorrect on two counts. First of all, we have to consider what effects such events would have had that we...

Nice definitions/clarifications. I go with a slightly different definition of theory, but same basic idea. When I use the term "Law" I'm talking about a popularly accepted theory. Like in your swan example, the popular acceptance/continued inability to find a black swan leads to the use of the...

I will do my best to keep my answers clear, and concise. This is the best place to start. I apologize if I'm assuming incorrectly, but I take this to mean that you agree with the statement "Matter is neither created nor destroyed." So, lets just list some questions that point out issue with...

Please provide some evidence for this claim. All of Genesis, and most of Exodus seem to be pretty questionable. Please provide evidence for the garden of eden, the flood, the plagues in Egypt. Any evidence for these events instead of against them would be fascinating to see. Please, list the...

Science has never claimed to be able to provide explanations for fictional events. Historical research has shown that events within the Bible generally did not occur (with the exception of wild exaggeration), so why would science attempt to explain them? Science works to explain the natural...

Actually, that would be better. It's more like ripping off your finger to the first knuckle. An insanely cruel act, and it's very easy to see why vets would refuse to perform it. A large number of pet adoption groups use this as a screening question. They get your information, ask you if you...