James Brown
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James Brown commented on Sam Harris Considers a Creator on March 2, 2008, 2:45 PM
I'm going to take exception to KentonStubbs point about agnosticism. Your viewpoint is paradoxical.You have said that it is wrong to believe in something without sufficient evidence. Which is exactly what atheists think as well.So in this respect you don't believe in God. Yet at the same time you are saying that it is wrong not to believe in God.You then go on to say that you will take sides when we have evidence. But you seem to be overlooking that fact that we will never have conclusive evidence for the non-existence of God, simply because of God's nature. So although you say you are not fence-sitting, you are infact fence-sitting until something impossible happens. In which case you are fence-sitting forever, which means you are fence-sitting.This kind of pure agnosticism is a paradox. To the extent that it becomes logical it also becomes atheistic. Generally this sort of atheism says, I'm not absolutely certain that God doesn't exist, but I'm almost certain anyone who says he does is wrong. Agnosticism gives the wrong impression that because you can't prove one of two possibilities that they are both equally likely. But because atheism is falsifiable, and theism is not then until it is falsified atheism is infinitely more probable than theism. This is a brut fact of probablity.
James Brown commented on What is your counsel? on March 2, 2008, 2:19 PM
Agnostics R Us,Sam has made the point that common sense would have us avoid a political candidate if he/she thought the world was flat. The fact that debates are held over the existence of God is already affording it more respect than this. All he is saying is that if someone claims something on insufficient evidence that we should call them on it.The fact that "they" see Sam's comments as "stifling" their views is an indication that we are not yet playing on a level field. So your suggestion that simply the act of engaging in debate should be enough to quieten the atheist voice seems to be a contradiction.
James Brown commented on Sam Harris On Good and Evil on March 2, 2008, 10:00 AM
When someone says to me "how can you have morals without God?" I simply return the question "If we require God to have morals, why is it important to have this God?" All the reasons they give for why we need these laws, will be the reasons why these laws are beneficial to our well being. These reasons are the reasons why we have morals without god.
James Brown commented on Sam Harris Considers a Creator on March 2, 2008, 9:45 AM
I'm going to take exception to KentonStubbs point about agnosticism. Your viewpoint is paradoxical. You have said that it is wrong to believe in something without sufficient evidence. Which is exactly what atheists think as well. So in this respect you don't believe in God. Yet at the same time you are saying that it is wrong not to believe in God. You then go on to say that you will take sides when we have evidence. But you seem to be overlooking that fact that we will never have conclusive evidence for the non-existence of God, simply because of God's nature. So although you say you are not fence-sitting, you are infact fence-sitting until something impossible happens. In which case you are fence-sitting forever, which means you are fence-sitting. This kind of pure agnosticism is a paradox. To the extent that it becomes logical it also becomes atheistic. Generally this sort of atheism says, I'm not absolutely certain that God doesn't exist, but I'm almost certain anyone who says he does is wrong. Agnosticism gives the wrong impression that because you can't prove one of two possibilities that they are both equally likely. But because atheism is falsifiable, and theism is not then until it is falsified atheism is infinitely more probable than theism. This is a brut fact of probablity.
James Brown commented on Sam Harris On Good and Evil on March 2, 2008, 3:00 PM
When someone says to me "how can you have morals without God?" I simply return the question "If we require God to have morals, why is it important to have this God?"All the reasons they give for why we need these laws, will be the reasons why these laws are beneficial to our well being. These reasons are the reasons why we have morals without god.