8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post - The new "God" argument
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Old 12-11-2008, 10:38 PM   #19 (permalink)
Itchytoe
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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What is the probability that humans evolved from multi-celled life forms? Very small, but we know that it has happened. What is the probability that advanced intelligent beings evolved from humans? Unless you believe that humans are the pinnacle of evolution, I would imagine that the probability of this is greater than the probability that humans evolved from mulit-celled life forms.
Humans evolved from multi-celled life forms = 100%
Humans will evolve from every multi-celled life form = infinitely small
Anything evolved from humans = 0% Humans have yet to evolve into another life form
Anything will evolve from humans = infinitely small since we can't gaurentee we will have a need toevolve.
Humans are the only known life form that adapts it's environment to suit it's needs and desires. That makes us infinitely more likely to evolve than all other known life forms assuming all other factors are equal.
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If the capacity of God (creation of intelligent universes like our own) is possible, with the other countless planets in the Universe, could we not say that we are "probably" not the first to do so?
We could say it, but we have no evidence of such, so we shouldn't make such assumptions with no evidence.
Assuming that is the capacity of God, it is possible (in that it isn't a logical contradiction), but that coupled with the large number of planets in existance does not lead to the conclusion that we are probably not the first.
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Or, they would communicate with us through a much simpler way than radio waves... What many people would call prayer. This way, they would be able to start communicating with us much sooner than radio waves.
Except that prayer isn't communication. It's solitary thought. People who claim to have prayers answered are simply answering the prayers themselves and attributing that to divine intervention. When you think about something the way you do when you pray for it, you keep it in your active and unconcious thoughts and search for the answer at an unconcious level. The signs people find, are just that, things they find because they are searching for them. The answer to your problems poping into your head after prayer is just you unconciously figuring it out, then transfering that solution from your unconcious thought to your active thought so that you can actively use the solution you found. There is no evidence of any kind showing that prayer has any effect of any kind.
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If a civilization was to reach this point of planetary destroying weapons for a few dollars, their civilization would have to be at least more benevolent than ours.
I completely disagree. Benevolence has nothing to do with it. It's about inteligence. The use of any such weapon on one's own planet would destroy the purpose of the use making such a weapon useless. Even stupid people know that total destruction isn't a means to any end. Once humans are smart enough to make such weapons, it will be obvious to everyone capable of using one that they shouldn't.
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I don't think it matters if they really are omnipotent, omnibenevolent, etc... but wether or not they would appear to be so. How many 5-year olds think that their parents are all knowing and perfect? If they were to create our earth and do things beyond our comprehension, wouldn't it appear that they are omnipotent? Omnibenevolent? See above. Infallible? Again, I think they would appear to be so.
Exactly 0 five year olds think their parents are all knowing and perfect because they lack the understanding of such concepts. Creating planets capable of sustaining life and doing things beyond our comprehension would only appear omnipotent to those who do not fully understand the meaning of omnipotent. Omnibenevolence and infallibility wouldn't be appearant though such actions though.
God isn't said to appear to be those things, he is only said to be those things, meaning that if the world creating life forms would still not fit the bill. Appearance isn't everything.
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So lets assume that we humans do not destroy or get destroyed for 10,000,000 years and we reach a point in our intelligence that we can create new life, worlds, suns, moons, our own galaxies and even our own universes, would that make us God?
Nope it wouldn't. That would lead to a logical contradiction and is therefore impossible.
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And if life has always existed, couldn't we be 100% statistically sure that some super advanced civilization is out there? The mathematical possibility may be almost infinately small, but with infinite time to work with that possibility will occur.
Of course we couldn't be sure of that. The concept that with infinite time all possible things will occur is absurd. It is possible that I will create a weapon that will destroy our solar system. It is also possible that an alien from some other planet will destroy the solar system exactly one minute after I am dead. Obviously even with infinite time, they cannot both happen even though they are both possible.
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