Mr Harris? Hello. I’m Sue from the insurance company. I’ve come to value your artwork. Oh, yes, hello. Do come in. What a lovely house you have here! Is this the piece you want valued? That’s it, yes. How much did it cost? No idea. It was here when I moved in. It’s fascinating. How …
Category Archives: Evidence, logic and deductive reasoning
What would count as evidence for reincarnation?
Anyone who wants to try and make out a credible case for ‘reincarnation’ has to do at least three things: Either explain how reincarnation is possible under our current understanding of physics, which is based on 400 years of research and literally billions of experiments and observations, or explain how and why our physics is …
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How can we test for the occurrence of ‘non-physical’ events?
People who make claims about ‘supernatural’ or ‘paranormal’ phenomena often try to dodge their obligation to present evidence by maintaining that these phenomena are ‘non-physical’, and hence can’t be expected to leave physical traces. Obviously this contradicts many of the other claims they make; for instance, if you can see a ‘ghost’ then it must …
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Best Evidence
In courtroom procedure, there is a concept of ‘best evidence’. If you are trying to show that a claim is true, you are obliged to produce the best evidence you can; and if you don’t, then the evidence that you do produce is regarded with scepticism. It implies that something about the ‘best evidence’ would actually damage …
The Acid Test for Real Science: Does it GO somewhere?
There have been a number of studies published in even quite reputable journals which purport to show results indicating that ESP, or ‘psychic’ powers, or ‘supernatural’ phenomena, are real. It’s not always easy for a lay person without a scientific background to understand why these are not taken seriously by sceptics. What is it that …
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We’re just not very important. Sorry and all that.
There is clearly a deep-seated and widespread tendency towards megalomania in some members of the human race. Many, many people seem to desperately need to feel that they are in some sense important to the universe. The whole of religion, in fact, can be seen as an expression of the desire to be regarded as …
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How can we be sure there are no supernatural/paranormal phenomena or entities?
We have a large, active, well-funded global news network, constantly on the lookout for stories of remarkable events that will interest their audience. There is no event more remarkable and interesting than one which breaks the laws of physics as we currently understand them. If a ‘supernatural’ or ‘paranormal’ phenomenon occurs, or a ‘supernatural’ or ‘paranormal’ …
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Jermey’s Wager
Here’s Jermey’s Wager: If gods don’t exist, there’s nothing to lose by not believing in them. If gods exist and are reasonable, they won’t penalise you for following the evidence and refusing to believe in them. So there’s nothing to lose by not believing in them. If gods exist and are not reasonable, there’s no way of …
Is the reason that there isn’t any proof that a god exists because the human consciousness by itself is unable to grasp the entire concept as such if were explained in totality?
Rational people will adopt the simplest and most obvious explanation as why there isn’t any proof that gods exist, and conclude that it’s because no gods exist. If and when we find that there’s any flaw in this reasoning, then we can change our minds and consider other possibilities; but until then there is no reason …
Why are most atheists averse to the idea that there might be a proof of the non-existence of God?
There’s a simple and obvious way to determine whether something exists or not, and that’s to look for it. If you find it, then it exists. If you don’t, and you’ve looked hard enough, then it probably doesn’t. Millions of people have been looking for gods for thousands of years, and they haven’t found any yet. …
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