1
   

Of dices and Gods

 
 
Reply Thu 6 Oct, 2005 06:10 am
I've got a bit of time to waste, so I figured I'd have another go at articulating the reasoning behind my being an atheist rather than an agnostic.

If I were to announce that I was about to roll ten fair dices I am sure no one, not even Frank, would suggest that eight or more dices having six eyes face up would be just as likely as less than eight dices having six eyes face up. Even with no evidence concerning my dices he would agree that that would be unlikely to occur. If I was to specify that my dices were of different colours, and that all dices apart from the red and the purple one had to have six eyes face up most of you would consider it even less likely for my event to occur. I could add the condition that I get heads in one coin flip following the dice throwing, and my event would be considered even less likely to occur. The more conditions I set the less likely I am to be right.

Some conditions reduce my chances more than others though, I think we can all agree that the coin flip condition has less of an impact than the "six eyes facing up on eight or more dices" condition. So in what way do we determine the impact of each condition, or sum of conditions? I propose that the probability of an event occurring is inversely proportional to the amount of information offered.

In considering the possibility of the existence of deighties I think along these lines. I recognise that, just as with the dices, I possess no evidence helpful in determining whether my event (deighty/deighties existing) has occurred or not. Then however I do not simply jump to the conclusion, as Frank would have me do, that deighties existing and deighties not existing are equally likely. Instead I scrutinise the proposed event, trying to determine whether a lot of information has been presented, or only a little. It seems to me that any structure, or mechanism, capable of processing signals in ways that generate consciousness and awareness has to be quite complex, due to the complexity of the processes facilitated. Since specifying such a complex structure involves presenting quite a lot of information I consider the event specified unlikely.
  • Topic Stats
  • Top Replies
  • Link to this Topic
Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 728 • Replies: 5
No top replies

 
rhymer
 
  1  
Reply Thu 6 Oct, 2005 02:00 pm
I don't believe it is possible to prove either that there is a God(s) or that there is no God(s).

Nonetheless, many people need a God, and I have every respect for the God they may choose to believe in, as long as they don't try to change my life!
0 Replies
 
Questioner
 
  1  
Reply Thu 6 Oct, 2005 02:12 pm
Here's one for you. . . figure out a way to calculate the possibility that those dice weren't manufactured, but just suddenly appeared in your hand out of some spare molecules floating about.
0 Replies
 
Steve 41oo
 
  1  
Reply Thu 6 Oct, 2005 02:21 pm
thats interesting einhijar and I certainly agree its for the theists to come up with evidence for the existence of god than for the non believer to "prove" non existence.

The problem i have with atheism is two fold

1 how do you define it

if you say non god believer ok

but if you say God does not exist, i think that silly.

because and this is my second point

2 "God does not exist". If this is a statement then to be able to make it with certainty, you would have to be omniscient. i.e. know ALL, or BE GOD. Therefore the statement contradicts itself. If its a proposition, i.e. I propose that God does not exist, then the implication is that we have to prove a negative.
Instead of making a positive proposition and testing it, we are asked to prove a negative propostion. As logic dictates, this cannot be done.


.................................

So thats my 2 dice worth

btw Einstein had a real problem with quantum physics because as im sure you know he said "God does not play dice"

okbye
0 Replies
 
Einherjar
 
  1  
Reply Fri 7 Oct, 2005 01:10 am
Steve (as 41oo) wrote:
thats interesting einhijar and I certainly agree its for the theists to come up with evidence for the existence of god than for the non believer to "prove" non existence.

The problem i have with atheism is two fold

1 how do you define it

if you say non god believer ok

but if you say God does not exist, i think that silly.


I assert that based on the knowledge at my disposal it is logical to consider gods (eternal conscious self aware entities) unlikely to exist.

Steve (as 41oo) wrote:
because and this is my second point

2 "God does not exist". If this is a statement then to be able to make it with certainty, you would have to be omniscient. i.e. know ALL, or BE GOD. Therefore the statement contradicts itself. If its a proposition, i.e. I propose that God does not exist, then the implication is that we have to prove a negative.
Instead of making a positive proposition and testing it, we are asked to prove a negative propostion. As logic dictates, this cannot be done.


I am not claiming that I know with certainty that gods does not exist, only that I am justified in considering the probability of gods existing to be negligible based on the evidence at my disposal (none). This because an event becomes less likely to occur the more information its conditions contain, and because a lot of information would have to be presented to describe any structure or mechanism able to facilitate consciousness, due to the complexity of such a structure.
0 Replies
 
Einherjar
 
  1  
Reply Fri 7 Oct, 2005 01:14 am
rhymer wrote:
I don't believe it is possible to prove either that there is a God(s) or that there is no God(s).

Nonetheless, many people need a God, and I have every respect for the God they may choose to believe in, as long as they don't try to change my life!


I do not respect peoples imaginary friends, nor do I respect people for keeping them. I do however respect their right to do so.
0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

700 Inconsistencies in the Bible - Discussion by onevoice
Why do we deliberately fool ourselves? - Discussion by coincidence
Spirituality - Question by Miller
Oneness vs. Trinity - Discussion by Arella Mae
give you chills - Discussion by Bartikus
Evidence for Evolution! - Discussion by Bartikus
Evidence of God! - Discussion by Bartikus
One World Order?! - Discussion by Bartikus
God loves us all....!? - Discussion by Bartikus
The Preambles to Our States - Discussion by Charli
 
  1. Forums
  2. » Of dices and Gods
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.04 seconds on 05/15/2024 at 05:33:55