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Author Topic:   Applying Science to Past Events
mark24
Member (Idle past 5221 days)
Posts: 3857
From: UK
Joined: 12-01-2001


Message 4 of 354 (128465)
07-28-2004 7:40 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by NosyNed
07-27-2004 9:03 PM


Nosy,
There have been a number of literalist posters who claim that science can't be applied to past events since "you weren't there". This is used to rule out paleontology, much of geology, cosmology and more.
But usually only once their "evidence" has been stuffed out of sight. It's like a plan "B" for them. Most creationists come here full of "evidence" for the bible, the flood, a young earth. Only when they have been well & truly refuted does the it's-in-the-past-so-you-can't-prove-it mantra get uttered.
Mark

There are 10 kinds of people in this world; those that understand binary, & those that don't

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by NosyNed, posted 07-27-2004 9:03 PM NosyNed has not replied

Replies to this message:
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mark24
Member (Idle past 5221 days)
Posts: 3857
From: UK
Joined: 12-01-2001


Message 153 of 354 (143116)
09-18-2004 4:53 PM
Reply to: Message 152 by Robert Byers
09-18-2004 4:29 PM


Robert,
While predictions have been made about future/past events there has been no test and so the method has stoped being used.
Why am I wrong in my reasoning here?
Because a borne out prediction is a test of the theory.
I predict if I boil water the temperature at which this happens will be 100C. This would be a borne out prediction, the theory has been tested.
I predict from evolutionary theory that cladograms & stratigraphy should show a degree of correlation that far exceeds that of which we would expect by chance alone. This would be a borne out prediction, the theory has been tested.
This is completely within the rationale of the scientific method.
Mark

There are 10 kinds of people in this world; those that understand binary, & those that don't

This message is a reply to:
 Message 152 by Robert Byers, posted 09-18-2004 4:29 PM Robert Byers has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 188 by Robert Byers, posted 09-21-2004 4:14 PM mark24 has not replied

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