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08-18-2008, 12:05 PM
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#1
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Wordsmith
Join Date: May 2007
Location: On islands
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,988
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Scientists know everything
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A commonplace of cosmologists who argue the anthropic principle is the assumption that if any or a few of the constants of nature took on an even slightly different value, life could not have evolved — perhaps even stars and galaxies would not form. Science News reports on a new calculation showing that, to the contrary, star formation could happen in up to one-quarter of universes with different values of three important constants. "In fact, all universes can support the existence of stars, provided that the definition of star is interpreted broadly," said the researcher, Fred Adams.
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My favorite example of scientific pronouncements not always being based on anything actually logical, or even sensical has always been Carl Sagan's lame calculation of the percentage of other planets in the universe that had civilizations like ours. (Made at a time no other star had been observed to have planets)
But this is breath-takingly wider in scope. This guy has information on the probability of OTHER UNIVERSES. |
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08-18-2008, 12:25 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Location, Location
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,610
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Eh, those scientists are well behind. Priests have been telling us about those for millenia.
If scientists were less dumb, they'd have the evangelism rackets going too. "Send me $100 so I can prove which of your uncles was a chimp!"
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08-19-2008, 06:37 PM
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Indiana
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,226
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lin
This guy has information on the probability of OTHER UNIVERSES.
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He's describing other universes in the hypothetical sense and the probability of the formation of stars based on different constant values (there's a couple dozen of them) that form the basis of modern physics.
__________________
The most frightening part of leaving a parent's home, to me, is not knowing where one's own home is.
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08-19-2008, 06:47 PM
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#4
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Addict
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Australia
Gender: Male
Posts: 169
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Breaking news: lin doesn't comprehend science or how it works, naively equates it with faith.
More ignorance to follow.
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08-19-2008, 07:11 PM
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#5
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Writing Machine
Join Date: Mar 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,661
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Erm.... I'd have say... FAITH, as in GOD, is bullshit. To repeat lin: Dorkhorse.
But this is not the thread for this.
I love you, lin. You're such a dick. *sits back to watch the newfound rivalry commence*
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08-19-2008, 07:14 PM
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#6
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Prolific Writer
Join Date: May 2008
Location: in a red volvo
Gender: Male
Posts: 485
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....Go easy on him.
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08-19-2008, 07:37 PM
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#7
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Mentor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,487
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He's presenting his idea. "The assumption" is right in the quote.
Dawkins has a great story about one of his professors having spent fifteen years devising and arguing for a theory, then a guest lecturer in his class completely proving him wrong. The prof walked up to the guest lecturer and shook his hand, thanking him for showing him the truth.
That's my idea of science.
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There Is A Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed
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08-19-2008, 07:55 PM
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#8
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Addict
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Australia
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The irony is that science's greatest strength is the fact that it's open to revision when new evidence is discovered.
A lot of people don't understand that, and see it as a weak point: hey, science doesn't know everything, and keeps changing it's mind! That's not a flaw, because science is not a belief system.
Conjecture isn't "faith" when it's based on observable evidence. That's where fundies like lin go wrong, because they simply assume science is another competing faith.
It's not faith when it's based on objectivity and is able to be revised. This snippet discusses reasonable assumptions based on extrapolation of known data: that's where the "logic" part comes in. The conclusion follows from the premises.
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08-19-2008, 08:56 PM
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#9
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Adept Writer
Join Date: Nov 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 752
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DarkHorse, who are you debating?
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"A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice."
Thomas Paine
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08-19-2008, 09:04 PM
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#10
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Addict
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Australia
Gender: Male
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I'm not debating anyone. I was just expanding on Malone's point.
I can't comment on the topic without it being a debate?
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08-19-2008, 09:05 PM
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#11
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Mentor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,487
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I appreciated what you had to say.
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There Is A Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed
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08-19-2008, 11:58 PM
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#12
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Adept Writer
Join Date: Nov 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 752
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkHorse220
I'm not debating anyone. I was just expanding on Malone's point.
I can't comment on the topic without it being a debate?
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Apparently not! You're debating Lin, or trying [so quit lying].
...But science is (largely) a belief system. Certainly no one observed the "Big Kaboom," but there are many believers.
__________________
"A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice."
Thomas Paine
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08-20-2008, 12:02 AM
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#13
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Profound Writer
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: America.
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,055
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blood
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...But science is (largely) a belief system. Certainly no one observed the "Big Kaboom," but there are many believers.
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Seriously? |
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08-20-2008, 12:07 AM
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#14
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Mentor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,487
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Quote:
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Certainly no one observed the "Big Kaboom," but there are many believers.
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You're right, we can only witness up to 1/10000000 of a second before it happened.
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There Is A Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed
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08-20-2008, 12:19 AM
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#15
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Wordsmith
Join Date: May 2007
Location: On islands
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,988
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Quote:
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Eh, those scientists are well behind. Priests have been telling us about those for millenia
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Jesus. Comment on science. SECOND POST for some reason takes off on priests and religions, as though that was at issue.
Weird. I guess if you're god-bashing you don't have to think. I give up. This thing went to full stupid even before dorkhorse stuck his nose/ass into it. |
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