Discussion: The Scientific Method is useless

Discussion in 'Formal debates' started by James R, Mar 18, 2011.

  1. Hercules Rockefeller Beatings will continue until morale improves. Moderator

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    It's not?

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    Formal debates as I know them have a winner (and, as a natural consequence, a loser) as determined by a judging panel. A realise we don’t have any sort of judging panel as part of this sub-forum, but if a winner isn’t going to be assigned then shouldn’t we be calling these threads “structured arguments” (or similar) rather than “debates”?
     
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  3. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    It is up to readers to judge for themselves who has "won", if that's what they want to do. As you said, there are no official adjudicators or judges here - only audience opinion.
     
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  5. synthesizer-patel Sweep the leg Johnny! Valued Senior Member

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    the debate was dead in the water before it even started, and scifes' first post was just excuciatingly lame and lightweight - the early end was merciful I think
     
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  7. scifes In withdrawal. Valued Senior Member

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    all members here are either staggeringly stupid not to realize that while the objective world will go on after their deaths, their subjective world, of which the objective world is a subset, will cease to exist.
    or they're playing dumb because it's a truth too hard to accept.

    however, while this is barely acceptable from an atheist, it is absolutely unacceptable from a theist who believes that those who strictly follow the scientific method are going to hell.
    out of the mostly good qualities of Geoffp, his intellectual hypocrisy is the one i cannot tolerate, this thread was to expose that and fix it. it was to be extremely easy and short and simple. the least i can say about how i feel for losing this debate simply for being busy in real life is, very sad.

    ---------
    but how can you be interested in something that you won't witness by definition?
    how can you work for a better world after your death, when there'll be no world after your death?
    who would spend his whole life, making sure his grave is comfortable?
    humanity does, humans don't. big difference.
    actually, it's THE difference.
    i've had timely problems in my previous formal debate, ones i didn't count for.
    so even though when i proposed this formal debate i had a spacious schedule, i wanted to play safe just in case, at first you didn't mind and only requested g to announce his agreement. then when rockerfeller started abusing his powers carelessly and requesting things already provided, you didn't want to clash with him so you agreed to his condition of a time limit, g proposed 3 days, i thought we stalled long enough so i agreed, just then when all hell broke loose and for the past 4 days i barely sleep 4 to 5 hours a day.
    i thought g would be forgiving like spider, but it seems he's not as confident.

    if you had the personality to reject other mods of lower status overriding your decisions, it wouldn't have become so.
     
  8. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    Scifes, so basically you're just selfish; "If I can't have it, nobody can."
     
  9. scifes In withdrawal. Valued Senior Member

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    everybody is selfish.
    even when acting selflessly, it is only because it makes you feel good.

    if giving "it" to others makes you happy, then you're not exactly giving it for no return.
    but if others can't or don't trade ego inflation for handing others their things, but rather choose to keep their stuff to themselves and put their happiness at nobody's mercy but themselves, then you're not one to criticize them.

    why wouldn't you be selfless to people who don't appreciate what you sacrifice for them, if selflessness wasn't merely a trade of ego for material intrest?
     
  10. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    I love how the bitter personal attacks from scifes have started up.
     
  11. Hercules Rockefeller Beatings will continue until morale improves. Moderator

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    Yeah, that must be it. We’re all stupid but you.

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    Yes it was insensitive of me not to learn whatever language you were using. Unfortunately I only know English.

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    Uh huh, James doesn’t want to tread on my toes and lets me over-ride him. That’s very believable.

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    Oh, that’s right, Geoff lacked sooooo much confidence in countering your arguments. He was positively scared. <I can't use any more rolling eyes smilies which is a shame because there can't be too much rolling of eyes for your silly teenage angst.>
     
  12. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    If we aren't conditioned to think our worth is based on being eternal, then people won't find it that hard to accept. You see, you are conditioned to accept the values that only religion can fulfill, it's a vicious circle.

    I understand, but since there is no god or hell, this is a nonsensical argument.
     
  13. scifes In withdrawal. Valued Senior Member

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    definitely an interesting viewpoint.
    that for atheists, usefulness is an instantaneous value?

    PRECISELY THE POINT I WAS GOING AFTER WHEN I CHOSE GEOFFP.
    you understand, does he?
    do the rest of the einstiens who think he won this debate.. heh, who think he actually won this debate before it even started, when it's supposed to be the inverse, do they understand?
    :facepalm:
    well actually no, i'm sure there are many who agree with what i said but didn't have much to add so they just left.
    however, those who think i don't have a point, and can't see that science produces nothing but better ways to die. are as i said either stupid, or playing stupid because they can.




    English was enough for you to read a thread before demanding stuff already mentioned in the thread.
    if i was a mod and got caught with this screw up, i'll try to get low.



    not over-ride him.
    stop doing his shit for him.
    james is supposedly responsible for cleaning this forum out of crap, there's a lot of crap, so he got some free helpers. now, if one of his helpers wronged one of the members, james can stand up for the member and risk losing the mod, and so have a shit load back on his hands, or he can squash the member under his boot for the sake of the crap the mod relives him from.
    also, while kicking one mod isn't that dangerous, kicking many may if not will get him overthrown, since members come and go and mods usually just stay. so it's a bit smart to make enemies of the temporary and friends of the long lasting.



    all you and him can do is be sarcastic and make fun of my writing composition, while my intellectual challenge for him still stands. it is very apparent he was eager to get out of the debate, we have barely gone beyond two posts and i was only one day late, yet he fled the scene not looking back. spidergoat on the other hand stood his ground and allowed me much more than one day repeatedly. if i was confident i'm gonna win in a debate, i'd like to SHOW the other side he lost, not grab a lame excuse to seal up the debate with a shallow official win.
    heh, and then refuse to continue the debate in another place, now here, is where you put a rolleyes smilie

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    that, is the only thing you have to say about the presented issues?

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  14. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    If you have an eternity to spend as a conscious being, then our time on Earth is mathematically approaching 0% of your life. I think this proves that belief in the afterlife makes this life practically worthless. In fact this is what we tend to see with believers in that they do not think such things as environmentalism, or controlling nuclear arms are valuable, since it's all going away soon enough anyway.
     
  15. arfa brane call me arf Valued Senior Member

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    Not logical. If you act selflessly because it makes you feel good, you aren't acting selflessly but with the expectation of feeling good.
    Therefore this statement is false . . .
     
  16. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    Fuck, yes. You think I have innumerable hours to waste bantering with madmen? Expediency should be the watchword of the serious.

    Sure: that and all the other things I already said.
     
  17. Big Chiller Registered Senior Member

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    I could understand what scifes meant he meant there is no selfless act which is indeed true.
     
  18. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    You're going to have to explain that, or substantiate it.
    All I can see is that Scifes appears to be contending that the term "selfless" isn't absolutely literal.
     
  19. arfa brane call me arf Valued Senior Member

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    Selflessness: acting or behaving without expectation of any reward.

    I.e. "no expectations, no regrets".
     
  20. Big Chiller Registered Senior Member

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    Even when one isn't looking for one particular reward for a good deed one still makes sure he/she has been compensated for the good deed by another reward when one knowingly does a good deed. So in this context there is no selfless act.
     
  21. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Really? Every single time?
    What's the "reward" for drowning while rescuing a stranger's child in the water?
    How much use is that "reward" to the guy who's now dead?
    If the child's mother withholds that "reward" how does the dead guy "make sure he's compensated for the good deed"?
     
  22. Big Chiller Registered Senior Member

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    Assuming you mean one who knowingly sacrifices his/her life to do a good deed one possible reward can be considered to be that this person has had a good life and feels compensated enough to sacrifice his/her own life.
     
  23. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    So you're claiming he got his reward before he did the deed?
    Hmm, what about people who have a really good life and don't sacrifice themselves? Are they cheating?
    Or how about the guy who risks losing his life and dies anyway? As in: expects to survive but fails while doing a good deed?
     

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