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3RU7AL

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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
Logic and independently verifiable evidence isn't what really convinces people.
People might say that is what they find convincing, but I think that is naive view.
The most powerful persuasion is "an appeal to fear".

This does not make it the most valid, or the most honest, or the most durable form of persuasion.
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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Would using that definition weaken my position?
Is your argument (in favor of hypothetical immortality) wholly contingent on a naked appeal to ignorance?

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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Don't we need a very definite meaning for both life and death before I can say?
Can we agree to use the modern medical definition of death for the purposes of this particular conversation?
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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Can anyone ever really die who has been a part of my subjective experience? Are they not still with me in that way?
Are you talking about physical death or some other ad hoc, personal definition of "death"?

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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Does the fact that I have never, to date, physically died count as such evidence?
Would you perhaps doubt that inferential inductive hypothesis (that you will never die) if you've ever known a friend or relative who died?

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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@keithprosser
They certainly fall short of proving the existence of an entity that "so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." and has strong views on marriage.
That is exactly the line they need to draw.

For example, "the thing that made the things for which there is no known maker" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVbnciQYMiM

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What's the strongest argument for atheism?
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@keithprosser
Maybe because god is important to theists they think god is important us... but its RELIGION that matters to atheists, particularly its many negative aspects. 
Well stated.
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What's the strongest argument for atheism?
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@Fallaneze
Your criteria for testing is insufficient to prove the existence of things you hold to be true, like math and logic.
Mathematics and logic are Quantifiable and independently verifiable.

The computer sitting before you at this very moment is proof positive that both mathematics and logic are valid, practical, and measurable.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@keithprosser
In 2018 the main debate is between theists and 'full on' atheists, with deism a very distant 3rd.  In 1818 (say) the debate would have been between theists and deists, who the theists would accuse of atheism.   What I called 'full on' atheism barely existed until the C19th.
Today if you self-identify as an atheist it implies 'adeism' simply because you have the option of self-identifying as a deist if that is more accurate.
The only reason I am driving towards Deism is because every logical defense of Theism (Aquinas, et al) is merely a defense of Deism.

Most atheists fight tooth and claw to deny Deism (and paint themselves into a paradoxical corner) because they believe that admitting Deism is a "win" for the Theists.

I'm merely pointing out that Deism is actually a "win" for atheism, because Deism is functionally identical to atheism.
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What's the strongest argument for atheism?
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@keithprosser
There's lot of things I don't believe in - Feng shui, magic crystals, lay lines, gods, the tooth fairy, horoscopes, yetis.. there's more but you get the point.  atheism is incidental to my worldview, not central to it.
Well stated.
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What's the strongest argument for atheism?
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@TwoMan
That may be true. However, there is more than one kind of God in which not to believe. There is the notion of deism which would solve the paradox of existence but is only one of an unknown number of possibilities. I give that theory a higher probability than that of theism which provides no evidence of any personal interaction between God and sentient beings. Rather than thinking of it as a complete lack of belief, I consider each possibility to have a higher or lower probability.
Well stated.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Plisken
It's just to point out that you weren't speaking for me
This much should be obvious.

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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Plisken
You are claiming revelation with your characterization, and also happen to be misconstruing what I intend to say to Mopac.  
Please make a point if you have one.

If you dispute my scriptural interpretation, offer an alternative.

If you dispute my understanding of your intended message, please clarify.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@keithprosser
@TwoMan
The difference is deism supposes the origin was something conscious and hence god-like; atheists suppose it was an unconscious and naturalistic process.
Is that necessarily the case? Is an atheist also an adeist by definition?

I've always been told atheism is a lack of belief in any particular gods, not a disbelief in any conceivable god.

An atheist is unconvinced about the "reality" and or "salience" of any particular hypothetical gods.

In the same way a Christian is unconvinced about the "reality" and or "salience" of Zeus.

I don't collect stamps (gods), this makes me a non-stamp-(god)-collector.  The fact that I do not collect stamps does not inform any other aspect of my personal belief system and or identity and or behavior.

Spinoza's god is a perfectly logical description of a perfectly logical god.  When Spinoza revealed his proof, his contemporaries called him an atheist-pantheist-deist.
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@Deb-8-a-bull
Because of the way religious groups , well " that i know about "  have painted God , really , really thick like. 
It would  stop half the atheists when they catch a glimpse of the God word , their out. 

I'd say most people that can fathom this " Deism " would make the god thing a " bright white light god "
And of course this deisms ex god doesn't / didn't  have a voice , No rules , and definitely no opinions. 
It didn't get guys to do a book for it.

I've always been a big fan of the ( BBWLG  blinding bright white light god )
Well stated.

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@Plisken
I was actually just going for a relatable and valid phrase, not the pledge, but now that this has been brought up, what do you think about a conditional pledge being explicitly subject to God?
A Deistic being does not require any sort of "pledge".

And "The YHWH" explicitly tells its followers not to make oaths.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
Well, I can't experience things for you.
Good point.  Your dreams and personal preferences and memories (Qualia) are highly prized by you but are ineffectual to others.

If you want to convince other people, you need logic and independently verifiable evidence (Quanta).
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Plisken
How do you personally imagine our relationship with natural law?  That may be helpful 
Gravity is natural law.

Gravity (natural law) does not need to be enforced by a government or police force or any human agents or mechanisms whatsoever.

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@Mopac
The experience of the church.
Just so you know, private, personal, internal experiences are not considered proper evidence to anyone except the individual who remembers the experience itself.

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@Plisken
It is not legally binding.  It is however, constitutional
How do you personally imagine it informs the concept of "natural law"?

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@Mopac
Orthodoxy teaches that we have a personal, synergistic relationship with God. 
Based on what evidence exactly?
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@Plisken
That's not exactly how I would frame the ramifications of "under God" 
The pledge of allegiance is not a legally binding document.

"Under god" was arbitrarily added June 14, 1954.

It means nothing and has absolutely zero bearing on the concept of "natural law".
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@Plisken
Edited, and I don't have a point.   I have a question that hasn't been answered
Here's the original quote you took issue with [LINK],

This legalistic attitude you are expressing here is very alien to Orthodox thinking. 
Religion practically invented "legalistic".

This is a western thing. The excommunicated Roman Church thinks like this. 
Thinks like what?  Blame the child?
The "legalistic attitude" that I expressed in the referenced post was "that adults are responsible for the actions of children".

The opposite of my so-called "legalistic attitude" would logically be "children are solely and 100% responsible for their own actions".
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@keithprosser
I think we agree.

I'd say there's no big difference between deism and atheism.   Both suppose there is no god now.   The difference is deism supposes the origin was something conscious and hence god-like; atheists suppose it was an unconscious and naturalistic process.   Beyond that there is no difference.

I'm sure many deists of the past would be full-on atheists if they had access to modern cosmology and biology. 
Well stated.
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@Plisken
Mopac said, "This legalistic attitude you are expressing is very unorthodox"
You said, "Religion practically invented legalistic"

Obviously you understood what you were saying or you couldn't tell us what "religion" invented.  
Please get to the point.
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@Plisken
This opens a can of worms for me.  Using the United States as an example requires quite a bit of depth that I might not have time to go into with you for awhile, but it's a discussion I look forward to.
This appears to be an appeal to ignorance.

I only need one example of a natural law that requires human enforcement.

Do you have time for one example?
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
You are thinking in a legalistic sense, which is not how we think.

Playing the blame game is fundamentally in opposition to a heart of forgiveness.

You who are corrupted by the excommunicated church see the church as a courthouse. That isn't the Orthodox view. We see the church as a hospital. And this legalistic mindset would be seen as a sickness to be cured.
Please build a logical connection between Deism and "the Orthodox view".
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@Plisken
Why do you seem to understand in the first line of reply and then ask what it is in the second?
Your use of the term "legalistic" is as unclear as it is moot.

I don't understand why you would assert that one type of church is "legalistic" and some other is less so.

I also don't understand how any of this relates to the OP.

Deism is not "legalistic".

Deism is not "anti-legalistic".

Deism is not "orthodox".

Deism is not "unorthodox".
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Deb-8-a-bull
A perfect god is incapable of making mistakes like Noah and the floods. Sod and gom.
Well stated.
 
If god is omni ( whatever )  What about Asteroids and dinosaurs ?
God wouldn't of wasted 13.2 seconds  making a full set of dinosaurs.
Nor would he of wasted the required .2 of a second ( approximate meteorite building time ) 

Now I'm not sure if he built asteroids, and the time it takes to build one, 
I wouldn't even like to guess. 
We should be careful not to commit the anthropomorphic fallacy when considering a Deistic being's possible "motives".

And this deism thing sounds alright. Kind of. Half of it. 

I can go with a " god thing " creating the universe but , but . 
It then goes on to say.
( But god does not interfere directly )  how could i believe or not believe this added bit of nonsense ?
The inference is that a Deistic being controls the universe by immutable and eternal natural law.

There is no conceivable need for a Deistic being (noumenon) to make ad hoc or on the fly or improvisational adjustments and or modifications.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@keithprosser
Isn't it so that the Bible is irrelevant as to whether gods exist?
It informs people's opinions on the matter and is full of logical inconsistencies.

If your debate partner believes it is relevant, then it should be addressed.


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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
When it comes to scripture, you have to understand that it belongs to the church. It isn't really yours to interpret.
I'm pretty sure the copyright has expired on the original manuscripts.

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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
Why is it important to blame someone for something?
Credit and blame are the same.  Without blame there is no credit.

Blame is not an essential concept and neither is credit.

The rabid dog and fan belt examples illustrate this point very clearly.

The only way you are going to stop drugs is to stop doing them.
This is a logically circular (meaningless) statement.

Are you going to blame the drugs?
Some people do and some people don't.  I'm just looking for the most logically coherent justification for either.

The people handing you the drugs?
Perhaps both?  Or all-of-the-above?

Stop taking them. You have a choice. Nobody ever said it would be easy all the time, but you still have a choice.
Are you related to Nancy Reagan?  The very definition of an "addiction" is some (impulsive) behavior you can't control (or have very limited or arbitrary control over).

All the people telling you otherwise, no matter how impressive their credentials, are wrong. You want to be a slave? Listen to those people. 
So if a child is given free access to a virtually unlimited supply of candy and their parents teach them about healthy food choices and dental hygiene, but the child continues to eat large portions of candy and refuses to brush their teeth, would you say this is the child's fault alone?

The parents tell the child repeatedly, "don't eat candy and brush your teeth" but the child compulsively eats more and more candy.

THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION.

This legalistic attitude you are expressing here is very alien to Orthodox thinking.
Religion practically invented "legalistic".

This is a western thing. The excommunicated Roman Church thinks like this.
Thinks like what?  Blame the child?

The protestant churches that broke from them often think like this. The dehumanizing death cult of secularism thinks like this.
Please explain the logical inconsistencies of the one view as it contrasts with the logical inconsistencies of the alternative.

And like I said, this type of thinking is alien to orthodoxy.
Please explain the logical inconsistencies of the one view as it contrasts with the logical inconsistencies of the alternative.

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(IFF) Free-Will is True (THEN) what?
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@Fallaneze
Someone who is severely mentally retarded, to the point where they don't understand that people have personal belongings, is less morally culpable, or not at all, for stealing than someone who does have the cognitive capability of understanding that stealing is wrong.
My personal "moral-intuition" seems to corroborate this assessment.  But is this scalable?  Does "moral-culpability" scale (proportionally) based on (YATBAOHYAAO) cognitive function?

The second layer, which is independent from cognitive capability, is your motive for doing something. Intentions matter. You are less culpable for accidentally taking someone else's personal belongings than if you do it deliberately.
Intentionality (YATBAOHYAAO) would also seem to be proportionally relative to one's cognitive function.

If you habitually act (impulsively) without considering longer term consequences (like a child or a dog), this is a strong indication of lower IQ (and possibly EQ if you ignore emotional consequences).

For example, if you purchase and then consume a piece of delicious, succulent chocolate and never consider the wider moral implications of the near-slavery conditions of the Theobroma cacao plantations that produced your practically irresistible treat, are you less "morally-culpable" than someone who knows exactly how much human suffering was rendered in service of their appetite? 

If you think the short-term-minded-person is less "morally-culpable", then STUPID = GOOD and SMART = BAD.
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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Are you saying that I won't live forever!?!
Do you have any evidence that suggests it might be reasonable to believe you personally will never face physical death?
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The question game.
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@keithprosser
DILIGAF?
Do you even know the rules of the game you are playing?
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The question game.
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@breakingamber
Do you think it is evasive to try and answer your question without not using a question?
Do you think it is clever to use a double negative?
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The question game.
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@keithprosser
Do you think me incapable of such a simple thing?
Do you think you might need some assistance?
Aren't you bored with this game?

Foul.  Non sequitur.
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
God doesn't make mistakes either.
The Christian/Jewish god makes mistakes (if the ancient writings are true) and makes very clumsy and heavy handed attempts to "clean them up".
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@Mopac
So like the free will discussion, this really has to do with moral culpability, because that is where this comes from.
The question is how.  How exactly is moral-culpability detectable?

Because if God did everything and there is no free will, that means I cannot be blamed for my actions.
This is absolutely false.  A rabid dog does not have free-will and yet, that fact alone does not in any way impede our ability to handle the creature appropriately.  A broken fan belt does not have free-will and yet, that fact alone does not in any way impede our ability to handle the failure appropriately.

Belief in free-will is entirely incidental.

There is a choice we all can make.
Even an insect can make a "choice".

To go with God or detach ourselves from God.
Which god are you talking about and how do you know what it wants?

God has given us the choice.
How do you know this?

God isn't going to force us.
Either a god is omnipotent or not.  (IFF) a god is omnipotent (THEN) all actions and events are de facto acts of that god.

So lets be clear, God does not send people to hell.
Who made "satan"?  Did your hypothetical god know the full consequences of creating "satan"?  Does your hypothetical god have the ability to modify or delete "satan"?  If you know a crime is going to happen, and you know who is going to commit that crime and when, and you fail to stop that crime, then you are de facto responsible for that crime.  I'm just sayin.

People choose to go to hell, and the door is locked from the inside.
I'm pretty sure they "go to hell" based on their god-given instincts and god-given desires for wealth and pleasure.

If you allow a child play in the street, is the child itself-alone "responsible" for getting hit by a cement truck?
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@Fallaneze
I said that moral culpability is better described by emotional intelligence than IQ.
Please explain why you would think this.  A "psychopath" has a near zero EQ, do you believe a "psychopath" has no moral-culpability?

This was a comparison between two options and I selected an option that better fits.
If you can think of an even better criteria, please let me know.  You're the one who thinks "moral" is "real".

If something is "real" then, axiomatically, it is measurable.  If you insist that it is not measurable, then it can't be "real".

This does not mean that moral culpability is equal to your emotional intelligence.
Either "moral-culpability" correlates with EQ or it does not.  Please choose one.  If you can think of a better way of measuring "moral-culpability" please let me know, I'm trying to detect logical coherence in your "moral-intuition".  Please feel free to modify or completely re-write any of your proposed statements at any time.

I've said previously that your moral culpability is based on your ability to be aware of how your actions affect others [YATBAOHYAAO].
This is the key point.  Is YATBAOHYAAO IQ?  Is YATBAOHYAAO EQ?  Is YATBAOHYAAO some complex calculation of IQ and EQ?

Is YATBAOHYAAO something else entirely?

It seems to me that YATBAOHYAAO is what we need to be measuring.


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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Plisken
Because developments are to go through consideration with respect to our relationship subject to natural law
There is no reason to codify "natural law".

Nobody can violate gravity.

We don't need any form of government or law enforcement to enforce "natural law".
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
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@Mopac
Deism is the belief that God created the universe, but does not interact with it.
I'd say a Deistic being "created" the universe with perfect planning and perfect execution so no further ad-hoc modification would be needed.

A perfect "god" is incapable of making "mistakes" that need to be "cleaned up" like Noah's flood and Sodom and Gomorrah (what a horrific mess!!).

Naturally this denies the incarnation. It also denies God's omnipresence.
Actually "god's" omnipresence (in a Deistic framework) is a logical necessity.  A Deistic being would necessarily "create" the universe out of itself and within itself.

It's probably a dualistic heresy.
Substance dualism is logically incoherent.

Deism is monism.
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@keithprosser
If it's correct that "Moral culpability is better represented by emotional intelligence than IQ." then nice people should be punished more than nasty people if/when they do something bad.

I'm not sure that's a good idea!
I would tend to agree.

Do you believe the reverse better fits your "moral intuition"?

In other words, should people with a low IQ and high "emotional intelligence" (empathy) be given more leniency and people with a high IQ and low "emotional intelligence" (empathy) be given less leniency regarding moral culpability? 

Is high IQ + high EI (super ego) more morally-culpable than low IQ + high EI (naive nurturer)?

Is high IQ + low EI (psychopath) more morally-culpable than low IQ + high EI (naive nurturer)?

Is low IQ + low EI (infant) more morally-culpable than low IQ + high EI (naive nurturer)?

My "moral intuition" seems to indicate that "psychopaths" are the most evil and "infants" are the least evil.
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The question game.
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@breakingamber
Would it be fair to say that the very point of this game is that I cannot answer your question?
Are you being evasive?
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The question game.
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@secularmerlin
Unless time is linear can we say there are good times and bad times or only that there is time?
Do you personally prioritize your actions based on relative (perceived) importance and the availability of your (apparently) finite lifespan?

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The question game.
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@keithprosser
Do you think me incapable of such a simple thing?
Do you think you might need some assistance?
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@Plisken
The social construct of the United States is predicated on deity, the consequence being the respect of truth.
Please explain how Deism = "respect of truth"?
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(IFF) Deism is true (THEN) what?
Because our universe would have been created by a transcendent consciousness (not comprised of the physical universe itself) if deism is true. 
This is a logical non-sequitur.  "transcendent" and "consciousness" are terms relative to human experience.

The Deism hypothesis adds zero information to "The Big Bang".

It is merely an ontological choice to say, "The Big Bang" / "Noumenon" = god(s).

This implies that consciousness rather than matter is fundamental and is therefore in direct opposition to atheism.
Nobody except nobody believes "matter is fundamental".  Noumenon is fundamental.

In genetics, scientists have coined the term "junk DNA" for strands of DNA they believed had no functional role in sustaining the organism because it had been left over from evolving.
Terms like "chaos" "randomness" "dark energy" and "junk DNA" are merely scientific placeholder terms that mean "we have no flipping clue".

If a deity created the universe, this is an avenue for life to have been designed. 
This is another logical non-sequitur.  We have no idea if the human concept of "designed" either has or does not have any conceivable corollary to something like the Noumenon.  This hypothesis is beyond our epistemological limits.  And would seem to be a consequence of the anthropomorphic fallacy.

Rather than mindlessly compiled, DNA can be viewed from a design-first approach. And as it turns out, less and less DNA is discovered to be "junk."
Identifying complex patterns and or previously unidentified uses and or "purposes" of "junk DNA" does nothing to "prove" "design".

Such a development would be exactly like the hundreds of years of scientific progress where we discover knowledge that was previously unknown.

Before Democritus, people thought the weather was "fundamentally unpredictable" and when Democritus was able to predict the weather with some modicum of accuracy, the people began to worship him as a god.  To his credit, he did his best to explain to everyone that he was just a normal human being, just like the rest of them.



Deism is functionally identical to atheism.

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@keithprosser
How can I tell if it's a good time?
Can you predict that you might have a spare ten seconds sometime in the near future?
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@secularmerlin
Should I go check it out now?
Is now a good time for you?
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