Re: holy figgledischnucks

Erin McLaughlin (erinseyes@hotmail.com)
Sun, 25 Oct 1998 19:46:10 -0800 (PST) 

Well said, Sean.

----Original Message Follows----
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 10:01:49 -0700
From: Sean Draine <seandr@microsoft.com>
Subject: holy figgledischnucks
To: "'bananafish@lists.nyu.edu'" <bananafish@lists.nyu.edu>
Reply-to: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu


Since the death of Logical Positivism in the 50's, most take for granted
that scientific and philosophical investigations of the universe can not 
be
based solely on formal logic. That is, any statement about the universe 
is
necessarily based on some set of unprovable assumptions. 

If agnosticism is really grounded in avoiding the logical pitfalls of
universal negation, then agnostics must also entertain the possible
existence of unicorns, Hercules, Munchkins, and of course our beloved 
Santa
Claus. That's not to mention figgledischnucks, lapsteins, bhygghnnudts, 
and
any other creatures I might invent on the fly. Anyone who answers "I 
don't
know" to the question "Do figgledischnucks exist?" is just being silly 
as
far as I'm concerned. And, I guess I'm not sure what the difference is
between theories of God's existence and theories of the existence of
figgledischnucks.

-Sean


> -----Original Message-----
> From: jrovira@juno.com [mailto:jrovira@juno.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 1998 5:49 PM
> To: bananafish@lists.nyu.edu
> Subject: Re: holy mackerel
> 
> 
> 
> <<are you saying that there definitely is a god??.. because then you
> would be
> sounding kinda omniscient there too that there is... ;)
> ~marisa>>
> 
> Oh no, I'm light years from saying that yet.  But do you see how
> affirming the Non-existence of something is much more difficult than
> affirming the existence of something?  
> 
> Say, for me to affirm the existence of my computer, all I 
> have to say is,
> "I see it here in front of me.  While you don't see it in 
> front of you,
> you know I must have a computer because I'm sending e-mail."  
> 
> Now, even that statement is fraught with difficulties if we 
> want a real,
> definite, cannot be shaken proof, but let's say we tried to affirm the
> opposite--that a thing called "my computer" does not nor ever 
> did exist. 
> 
> 
> That would mean you'd have to have knowledge of all points in the
> universe at once to know that it was not in any of them at 
> any time, and
> knowlege of past, present and future.  
> 
> Now let's say we limit it to the normal behavior of 
> computers. They only
> existed since, shoot, let's say the last 20 years.  Let's say 
> in America.
>  Now try to prove that a computer that could be called "mine" didn't
> exist.
> 
> Real hard job, huh?  Especially compared to just saying, "Yeah, he
> probably does have a computer."
> 
> Jim
> 
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