Quote:
Originally Posted by SMadsen
I only have one small favor to ask of you before I perhaps respond to this: Please describe a possible route to provide evidence of a god that exists in the physical reality and not in the "reality" of flying toasters, i.e. the mind.
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OK.
I assume we begin with some notion as to what this hypothetical "god" we're trying to provide evidence for is like (what qualities it has); we can't really look for evidence for something if we haven't defined, at least to some extent, what that something is. Note that we aren't
assuming this thing exists, we're just defining what we mean we say "god".
Taking into account our existing knowledge base and our limited powers of observation, we could go about trying to figure out what evidence
should exist if something having the qualities we ascribe to our "god" did exist. We'd develop statements like "
If a think having the qualities of god exists, we should observe ABC when we XYZ."
Then we would XYZ and see if ABC was observed. If it is, we have
some evidence for the existence of our "god." NOT, I hasten to emphasize
conclusive evidence or even
sufficient, but
some evidence. We could then begin the whole process of considering other explanations for that evidence.
It's really a process we could use in looking for evidence for anything. If, for example, I think there are mice in my house, I might say to myself: "Mice chew up electrical cables." (thus defining a quality of a mouse).
I might then think: "If there are mice in my home, I should observed chewed up electrical cables when I look behind my computer." (thus defining the evidence to look for)
If I look behind my computer and observe chewed up electrical cables, then I have
some evidence for the existence of mice in my home. It is not conclusive evidence (for example, I could have rats instead of mice), but it is evidence none-the-less.
Alternatively, if I think there is a magnet hidden in a shoe-box, I will recognize that by "magnet" I mean (amongst other things) an object that attracts iron to itself. I might then state that, "If there is a magnet in this shoe-box, when I place an iron spoon near the box I should observe the spoon moving toward the box." If I do in fact observe the spoon move toward the box, I have
some evidence that a magnet exists in that shoe-box.
But perhaps you'd prefer a more "divine" example
"Zeus shoots lightening bolts at people who curse his name." (a quality of my hypothetical Zeus)
"If Zeus exists, then when someone curses his name I should observe lightning bolts hitting them." (some evidence to look for)
If, the next time I see someone curse Zeus I then see lightning rain down upon them from on high, I have
some evidence for the existence of Zeus.
[Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this - I'm in the middle of writing final papers for the semester and time has become rather precious
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