- Anything Else -

Keep it simple...

Posted by: Gideon Hallett ( UK ) on December 06, 1999 at 13:15:11:

In Reply to: Surely posted by Robert on December 04, 1999 at 00:22:51:

: : : As an example, perhaps Christ lives in extra-dimensional space/time. We would not have the capability to measure in those dimensions, we wouldn't be able to observe them either. However, that in and of itself does not exlude the possibility of their existence.

: Do you see the word PERHAPS? If so, does that word imply absolute proof, or even suggest that I'm demanding such?

Consider the words of William of Ockham, as I've said in the past;

"Do not multiply causes unnecessarily".

You could say any number of entirely unprovable and unfounded things; however, these are of limited use to any philosopher, since they are not open to examination. Which makes them pointless fudging.

: Do you see the word POSSIBILITY? If so, does that also imply absolutism? or again suggest that I'm demanding such.

You're multiplying causes unnecessarily. There is in fact a giant fire-breathing dragon in my garage; but I can't see it because it exists in alternate dimensions; this is basically what you're saying.

This is faulty because you don't have any evidence to back up your statement. You only experience things demonstrably in this set of dimensions; any "extradimensional" evidence you care to quote has to be filtered through this set of dimensions and the physical perceptions thereof.

If a God existed in alternate dimensions, either they would be able to affect physical phenomena demonstrably in this dimension or they wouldn't.

If they did, you'd be able to point at something and say "look, God did that..."

If they didn't, you ultimately have no way of knowing if God is responsible for anything.

However, you are unable to give any clinching evidence in this dimension; you have said yourself that logical and physical proof of God is impossible. If physical proof of God is impossible, then the Bible cannot be proof of God, since the Bible is a physical object; the only thing that says the Bible is anything more than a work of fiction is the Bible itself; thus, to prove that the Bible wasn't a work of fiction, you would have to assume that it wasn't a work of fiction from the start; there is ultimately no independent corroboration of the Bible's divine status.

If the Bible is proof of God, then God can be proved physically. This conflicts irrevocably with the infinite nature of God, as stated in the Bible; you cannot define or delimit something that is all-powerful and infinite.

So, either the Bible is wrong, since it contradicts itself; or it is not an infallible source, or God does not exist, or God is not infinite.

Any of which leaves rather large holes in your position.

: As I understand extra-dimensionality, for every point in 3-D, another dimension can be uncurled to form say a "thin line", and that line can be uncurled to form a "thin sheet", and on and on.

Not really; it sounds as if you've been reading the Flatland books.

I'm not going to go into it here; the site I quoted in my last post has a useful treatment of vector algebra.

: I'll never try to "prove" its physical existience, but it is mathematically possible (POSSIBLE, being the operative word here).

Do not multiply causes unnecessarily.

If God is infinite and all-powerful, then God and the Devil are one; for there is no "outside" to an infinite being. Which gives the lie to God being "good"; God is as "evil" as God is "good".

An entirely consistent argument; and not one that you can refute, since it is based squarely on unprovables. The reason I don't advance it as an argument is that it depends ultimately on things which can never be proved or disproved; and is thus an argument from a position of faith, not logic.

Thus, speaking from a logician's point of view, it is spurious; it's fighting fire with fire, rather than using water to drown the fire.

Your position is ultimately based on something you can never prove; you cannot point to any natural phenomenon and say "That happens because God wills it so" - because it would constitute physical proof of God; and physical proof of God would render the Bible wrong or God non-existent or both.

As such, I'd encourage you to stop trying to cite natural evidence as "existence of God" - unless you want to commit deicide...

Gideon.




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