So, according to you, people who reject the god-idea don't understand the utility of it.
And you don't reject anything.
So, according to you, people who reject the god-idea don't understand the utility of it.
And you don't reject anything.
Well do you? What is it that you are rejecting and what is its utility?
What experiment would I have to perform to determine whether I do or don't?
I dunno; I reckon I could make a case for atheism being the default position - agnostic atheism, as per the cartoon you posted if you prefer. I don't think anyone would have to make a point of not believing in something for which there is no evidence were it not for others insisting such a creature exists.
The default epistemic position is the principle of maximum entropy - all hypotheses are equally probable.
OK. I don't know if I believe in God or not. How would I find out?
My understanding is that it varies for everyone who finds utility in it. One person's utility is not another's. And some people don't find utility in it at all. It's like ANY idea or belief in life.
You tell me. You're the one who claimed that people who reject the god-idea are stupid.
It's always nice, once in a while, to check to see why I put you on ignore.
It's that epistemically, they shoot themselves in the face with a shotgun.
https://unvarnishedveritas.wordpress.co ... inference/
Ok but there is a distinct difference between indifference to an idea and a rejection of an idea.
Well, I can't tell you because you can't tell me what it means to accept or reject an idea.
I am perpetually pointing out arguments that aren't even wrong.
You and me both and, as I keep pointing out, the term agnosticism was created by Thomas Huxley, who would also agree with you:
I don't see the need for any conditions. If there is nothing to reject in flying elephants, as in
what is there to reject in theism?
I wasn't asking about god-belief (in particular), I was asking about belief (in general).
Inversely, what is there to accept in atheism?
Nothing. My atheism is simply that I don't accept what theists say there is to accept about their theism.
Well, knowing whether you believe sounds like the gnostic position, theist or atheist, that you would rather not support. You could just do what most people do: believe p or not p and then get into interminable arguments with people who take the opposite view.
And what empirical change might one observe if you were to accept the theistic narrative?
The testable/falsifiable kind of knowledge is not the type that offends my sensibilities ,and I can sure test/falsify hypotheses about myself...
Well, I more than believe that I like ice-cream. I know I like icecream. You would know I like icecream too if you saw how much of it I eat.
You have no idea how to test if you believe in God or not or do you mean you have no idea how to test if there is a God?Skepdick wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 8:54 pmAnd what empirical change might one observe if you were to accept the theistic narrative?
The testable/falsifiable kind of knowledge is not the type that offends my sensibilities ,and I can sure test/falsify hypotheses about myself...
Well, I more than believe that I like ice-cream. I know I like icecream. You would know I like icecream too if you saw how much of it I eat.
But I don't know whether I believe in God or not, and I have no idea how to test.
The former.Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 9:15 pm You have no idea how to test if you believe in God or not or do you mean you have no idea how to test if there is a God?
I suppose if you believe in God you might do things like pray, offer homage to or say things out loud when no one else was listening which you think God is listening to. Or you might abstain from certain behaviors due only to fear of divine retribution or something.Skepdick wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 9:38 pmThe former.Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 9:15 pm You have no idea how to test if you believe in God or not or do you mean you have no idea how to test if there is a God?
Abstract beliefs lead to concrete actions.
What sort of behaviour would empirically indicate that I do believe in God?
What sort of behaviours would be absent if I didn't?