Recent content by OB 50

I don't see how an intangible concept such as free will, which is a property of conscious beings, could have predated the existence of such beings, much less the universe itself. My criticism of the primary cause is directed more at causality and determinism as a model of reality; freewill is...

I don't get why determinism is latched onto so strongly in considering free will, when there is an enormous example of the universe violating this principle staring us right in the face. The example I'm referring to is the origin of the universe itself. Sure, we have a name for it and...

Maybe humans, or something comparable, create them? That may not be traditionally considered a "natural" process, but that's just human bias talking. Humans creating robots is no more unnatural than bees making hives. Everything that exists is a natural process; nothing is truly "artificial"...

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not, but those are generally good points. However, if you're saying that an omniscient being is inherently "unknowable", and therefore exempted from any requirements of logic, then I respectfully disagree. One thing to note is that we are only...

There are so many problems with the concept of an omniscient being: 1. In order to "know" something, the being in question has to have an accurate mental model of the object of knowledge. In order to know literally everything, the being would have to possesses an accurate model of the entire...

There's something that bothers me about the original question. First, it seems to presume that theism is the default state of someone that values the sanctity of life. Atheism then is presented as the exception that requires explanation. Religion and (morality, respect for life...

The simplest reason you can't travel back in time is that it would violate the second law of thermodynamics. You cannot create or destroy energy or mass. Think about all of the atoms in your body. They each have a unique history. Some of those atoms were once part of a ham sandwich (you...

I think you guys are too caught up in the specifics and relative validity of the two competing ideas, and have lost sight of the actual question at hand. Science is a process. String Theory and Intelligent Design are ideas. An idea, in and of itself, cannot be science. What one does...

The statistic was presented in an episode of "Penn and Teller's BullSh!t", which is admittedly not a scientific journal. However, there was no real spin to this number. They basically had the same reaction I did, which was, "How are we supposed to know what any of this means without being...

I like to think that I'm pretty good at sorting out the BS from the actual facts, but with global warming, I'm having a hard time determining what is actual science, and what is politicized pseudo-science. Just for reference, I have generally accepted that human actions have been responsible...

How is your scenario of two counter-rotating wheels any different than one stationary wheel and one rotating wheel? Where is the big mystery? Are you surprised that any time a single wheel is set in motion relative to a stationary object, it doesn't perpetually increase it's rotational...

I wasn't being at all serious by saying that; just poking a little fun at the atheist stereotype. Anyway, you're right that I have no incontrovertible evidence that an all-comprehending being does not exist in the universe. However, the observable universe is only some unknown fraction of...

This position makes no sense to me. You're saying that you're perfectly willing to accept my views, but only so long as I have no conviction as to the validity of those views. Why bother talking to anybody, ever? On top of that, your original question contains a logical fallacy. You are...

I think it's both hilarious and tragic that there is an assumption that atheists are handicapped; that we are somehow unable to appreciate the spectacle and grandeur of the universe. On the contrary, we are not afforded the luxury of magic to explain away the mysteries. A universe created...

That's an interesting way of putting it. Congratulations on your blind spot. May it serve you well.