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How to prove a negative


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#1 Manoka

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 11:26 AM

How to prove a negative; some of you may think this is impossible. Like saying, how do you prove aliens don't exist, or how do you proof unicorns don't exist, or how do you prove something isn't red? You can't prove something isn't something, without proving the entire universe first, right?

 

Err, wrong. You CAN prove a negative, if you can find an exclusionary property, that means something can't be something else; for instance, matter cannot take up the same space at the same time as any other matter; so, you can prove that nothing else is in an area, by putting something there. or if you find something there. Similarly, if you wanted to prove something was not red, you could simply prove it was green; that something possessed an exclusionary quality which made it impossible to be something else. By green of course, I mean that the wavelength and frequency of photons meets the technical scientific definition for, green, and thus that it cannot possess two wavelengths and frequencies at the same time. 

 

 

 

So, in essence, you can prove an apple is not a red apple by proving it was green, I.E. something else that means the apple cannot be two things at once; proving something is a dog, proves that it is in fact, not a cat, and so on and so forth.

 

And thus, the argument that, "you can't prove a negative", is false. 

 

 

Take that, logic

 

You can see more, at Occam's LAZAH!: http://occamszlazah....0&max-results=3


Edited by Manoka, 01 December 2014 - 11:27 AM.




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#2 Thrash

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 11:47 AM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?



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#3 Manoka

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 11:53 AM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

I'm not sure, but the fact of the matter is, it's possible. 

 

The fact people haven't is just a figure of their own ignorance, not some inherent problem. 



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#4 CeltSoldierKev

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 12:31 PM

Shouldn't this be posted in the Politics Subforum?

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#5 Manoka

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 03:12 PM

Shouldn't this be posted in the Politics Subforum?

abbqqttfwwwddfasdfasdf



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#6 DaFuzzy

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 04:13 PM

I think we forget that Manoka just post things to attempt to troll....

 

 

youre-a-bad-troll-and-you-should-feel-ba



#7 Manoka

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 04:16 PM

I think we forget that Manoka just post things to attempt to troll....

 

 

youre-a-bad-troll-and-you-should-feel-ba

This isn't a troll, this is a scientific fact! 

 

Presented on a semi-trolly manner; but regardless, you've got to admit, it makes sense. ;)



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#8 Redezra

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 07:26 PM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 

Prove? Practically impossible.

 

Marginalise into the infinities of improbability, with only a legion of apologists to defend Him/Her? Easy. Already done.

 

 

 

Or, alternatively, you can go along the lines of the HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy. Take the BabelFish, something so utterly improbable to evolve by random chance that it's far easier to assume divine intervention (this is of course the proof's weakness, but screw that this is comedy). Then proceed as follows:

 

God: I am God, and I cannot prove I exist, for proof denies faith and without faith I am nothing

Man: Aaah, but the BabelFish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It proves you exist, and therefore, you don't. QED.

God: Oh, I hadn't thought of that.

<God disappears in puff of logic>

Man: Well, that was easy.



#9 Manoka

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Posted 01 December 2014 - 07:57 PM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 

Prove? Practically impossible.

 

Marginalise into the infinities of improbability, with only a legion of apologists to defend Him/Her? Easy. Already done.

 

 

 

Or, alternatively, you can go along the lines of the HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy. Take the BabelFish, something so utterly improbable to evolve by random chance that it's far easier to assume divine intervention (this is of course the proof's weakness, but screw that this is comedy). Then proceed as follows:

 

>God: I am God, and I cannot prove I exist, for proof denies faith and without faith I am nothing

Man: Aaah, but the BabelFish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It proves you exist, and therefore, you don't. QED.

God: Oh, I hadn't thought of that.

<God disappears in puff of logic>

Man: Well, that was easy.

 

Well if it's so easy, you should be able to provide dah evidence. :ninja:



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#10 KiWi

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 01:29 AM

You would have to prove that the two are whatever, whatever.

Also this is how I will start responding:

gAvH31n.png

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#11 ᗅᗺᗷᗅ

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 01:55 PM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 

Look at the world?



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#12 CeltSoldierKev

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 04:14 PM

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 
Look at the world?


Ah, but some may take that as proof of the existence of a Grand Architect.

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#13 DaFuzzy

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 04:36 PM

aeawig7.jpg



#14 Redezra

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Posted 02 December 2014 - 08:48 PM

 

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 
Look at the world?

 


Ah, but some may take that as proof of the existence of a Grand Architect.

Exactly, it's practically impossible to weed out belief of agency in a world bereft when humans are designed to assume agency. It makes our brains so much more faster with social stuff, evolution doesn't care we also see a big, magic, superpowered human running the things we don't understand.



#15 ᗅᗺᗷᗅ

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 07:23 AM

 

How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 
Look at the world?

 


Ah, but some may take that as proof of the existence of a Grand Architect.

 

Some people like Garth Brooks music too. That doesn't make it right.



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#16 KiWi

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 03:51 PM




How do you prove God doesn't exist?

 
Look at the world?
 



Ah, but some may take that as proof of the existence of a Grand Architect.


 
Some people like Garth Brooks music too. That doesn't make it right.
 



While I like your quip, I don't think it's appropriate here. His response about certain peoples opinions was merely to contradict the exact same claim for the opposite argument.

While some people might see the reasoning behind the original reply's argument, "Look at the world?" if other people don't understand, you need to expand on that (explain 'why' and what you're looking at that proves your case, or disproves the other).

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 06:31 PM

Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.



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#18 Manoka

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 07:57 PM

Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.

But then, why do you believe there's evidence for it? xP



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#19 KiWi

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 08:35 PM

Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.

Spoiler


"I'm not really interested in proving my case. [...] I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs"

pretty much.
 


Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.

But then, why do you believe there's evidence for it? xP
 
 


Manoka, you didn't even make an argument there. He said he didn't want to prove his case. It's been done before. That's not a basis to question "why [he] believes there's evidence" when, again, it's been done before. You could venture down any number of avenues about where and what his evidence is. But not that there "isn't any".

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#20 Manoka

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Posted 03 December 2014 - 08:41 PM

Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.

Spoiler


"I'm not really interested in proving my case. [...] I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs"

pretty much.
 

Oh, I'm not really interested in proving my case. I am experienced enough to know that I'm not going to change anyone's beliefs, especially when it comes to religion.

But then, why do you believe there's evidence for it? xP
Manoka, you didn't even make an argument there. He said he didn't want to prove his case. It's been done before. That's not a basis to question "why [he] believes there's evidence" when, again, it's been done before. You could venture down any number of avenues about where and what his evidence is. But not that there "isn't any".

 

That's true, I was asking a question. xP



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