Category: Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology
Mathematical Realism/ Platonism (and Nesher on Godel’s Option C)
As we continue to explore the mathematical domain of abstract reality and objective truth, we come to first the Godel point (as summarised by Nesher): where, recall, the domain of facts starts with something like the surreal world of numbers: and then also, we come to the world of Mathematical Platonism/ Realism. So, let me […]
Sev, JDK, the value of philosophy [esp. metaphysics] and addressing the intersubjective consensus challenge
In the PZM on the state of atheism thread, some key fundamental issues have emerged: JDK, 12: >>to both ba[77] and kf: because I think your belief in the power and importance of metaphysical philosophy is excessive and misguided . . . >> Sev, 17: >>[to BA77,] You consistently ignore the possibility that a consensus […]
My conclusion (so far) on the suggested infinite past, beginningless physical world: not plausible, likely not possible, here’s why
One of the more astonishing points of debate that has come out at UD is that at least some defenders of the evolutionary materialistic view are prepared to argue for or assume as default that we have had a beginningless past for the physical world. This has come up several times in recent years and […]
Fun with the hyperreal numbers (and with the idea of an infinite actual past)
The hyperreals are an extension of the real number line that brings to bear a reciprocal relationship between the very large and the very small. By so introducing extensions to the real number continuum, it forms a base for an infinitesimals approach to the calculus and makes sense of a lot of the tricks used […]
DI Fellow, David Berlinski: “There is no argument against religion that is not also an argument against mathematics”
| February 16, 2018 | Posted by kairosfocus under academic freedom, Atheism, faith, Mathematics, Mind, reason, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, They said it . . ., warrant, knowledge, science and belief |
He continues (HT, BA77): >>Mathematicians are capable of grasping a world of objects that lies beyond space and time …. … Come again … DB: No need to come again: I got to where I was going the first time. The number four, after all, did not come into existence at a particular time, and […]
A thought on soul-body-spirit (and on the meaning of “death” in the Judaeo-Christian frame of thought)
While scientific topics tied to AI are a main current focus — I will shortly add another headlined comment on why — there are several philosophical and theological topics that keep on coming up in and around UD. So, pardon a quick note on those wider themes. Here, on the soul and linked ideas from […]
Christian Scientific Society: Can predatory animals be seen as “evil”?
| February 4, 2018 | Posted by News under Biology, Religion, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
From David Snoke at the Christian Scientific Society: On Friday night, Mike Keas and I debated whether and how much human sin could be seen as a reason for animal death. We agreed on many things, for example, that the age of the earth is billions of years, that animals died before Adam and Eve […]
God as a necessary, maximally great, endless being vs. the challenge to an actual infinity
In a recent thread, the Kalam Cosmological argument family was challenged on the issue: can an actual infinity exist? If not (presumably due to Hilbert’s Hotel-like absurdities), then God could not be an infinite being as such is impossible of being. A thread of discussion developed, and I thought a summary intervention may be helpful. […]
Origenes and the argument from Self-Prediction
Origenes, has put up an interesting argument that we need to ponder as food for thought. It’s Friday, so this should be a good thing to start our weekend on: >>>>>>>>>>>>>> ORIGENES: Here I will argue that self-prediction cannot be accommodated by materialism. In daily life we all routinely engage in acts of self-prediction — […]
What is knowledge?
Sometimes, exchanges at UD come down to truly basic (and hard) issues. This is one such time, where Origenes has challenged prolific objector Critical Rationalist in the Personal Incredulity thread: >>100 Origenes November 25, 2017 at 7:01 pm CR What is your definition of valid knowledge?>> I have thought this worthy of responding to and […]
The ongoing failure of supersymmetry
| July 13, 2017 | Posted by News under Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Multiverse, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
You know, string theory leads to a multiverse. As described by Columbia mathematician Peter Woit at Not Even Wrong: There’s an interview with Nima Arkani-Hamed here. His talk at the recent PASCOS 2017 conference (real title is second slide “What the Hell is Going On?”) gives his take on the current state of HEP, post failure of the LHC to […]
The Materialist Mindset
| May 3, 2017 | Posted by Eric Anderson under Atheism, Evolutionary materialism's amorality, Logic and First Principles of right reason, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, Science, worldview issues/foundations and society |
Weak materialists do not necessarily reject the idea of non-material realities. As a result, many arguments against strong materialism do not directly address the viewpoint of the weak materialist, resulting in a disconnect in the debate over free will and morality.
Naturalism and Its Alternatives – Amazon Hot New Release
| January 28, 2017 | Posted by johnnyb under Naturalism, Philosophy, Science, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
While these statistics get recompiled continually, I was pleased to wake up this morning and find that our new book, Naturalism and Its Alternatives in Scientific Methodologies is currently the #1 Hot New Release in the Scientific Research category, the #2 Hot New Release in epistemology, and the #1 Hot New Release in Psychology research.
The Trolley Problem and the Problem of Moral Progress: The Case of Pontius Pilate
| October 25, 2016 | Posted by Steve Fuller under Ethics, Intelligent Design, Of General Interest, Philosophy, Science fiction, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, Science, worldview issues/foundations and society |
We started by assuming that Pilate made a mistake of world-historic proportions when he condemned Jesus to death. However, as Pilate in Purgatory explores the alternative histories that would result in a better world, he may come to discover that each of those alternatives would have resulted in a worse world because they would have also prevented the Resurrection of Jesus, which is the cornerstone of the Christian faith
Francis Bacon, Analogy, and Teleology
| July 13, 2016 | Posted by johnnyb under Intelligent Design, Naturalism, Philosophy, Science, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, Video |
In the next installment of videos from the AM-Nat conference, Jim LeMaster discusses Francis Bacon and David Hume, and shows their issues with teleological thinking in science, and why the arguments against analogies don’t measure up. We have a conference coming up in November focused on biology, and another in February focused on business and […]
FYI-FTR: The Grayling- Rowe debate on the existence of God
| July 10, 2016 | Posted by kairosfocus under Atheism, Cosmology, FYI-FTR, Logic and First Principles of right reason, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology, Science, worldview issues/foundations and society, Selective Hyperskepticism |
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Video: embedded by Embedded VideoYouTube Direkt (This is supplementary to the discussion thread here started by HeKS, as he only linked the debate. Onward discussion is invited there in the thread.) END
Prominent Atheists Fundamentally Misunderstand First-Cause Arguments
| July 6, 2016 | Posted by HeKS under Atheism, Big Bang, Cosmology, Fine tuning, General interest, Logic and First Principles of right reason, Philosophy, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
Recently, a debate was held in London between theist philosopher Rabbi Daniel Rowe and atheist philosopher A.C. Grayling. The subject under dispute, unsurprisingly, was God’s existence. It’s a very interesting debate to watch. I’d never heard of Rowe before, but I was familiar with Grayling, who is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Horseman of […]
AM-Nat Online Conference This Saturday
| April 13, 2016 | Posted by johnnyb under Naturalism, Philosophy, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
This is an online conference, so anyone can attend from anywhere in the world. Convert time zones.
Is Barker right (or at least in possession of responsibly justified belief) in his book title: “God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction”?
It seems atheist Dan Barker has built on a notorious remark by Mr Dawkins and has published a book bearing the title as headlined. The question immediately arises: is he right, or is he holding a responsibly justified belief even were it in error? A glance at the Amazon page for the book gives the […]
The United Methodists and NOMA
| February 1, 2016 | Posted by DonaldM under Christian Darwinism, Darwinism, Design inference, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Naturalism, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Science, Mathematics, Philosophy and (Natural) Theology |
Before I put the issue with the United Methodist Church and Discovery Institute to rest, I want to make one last comment on the UMC’s Statement on Science and Technology, which I wrote about the other day. One of the most significant assertions in the statement is “We preclude science from making authoritative claims about […]
