Apologies for the delay in responding..
Percy writes:
I believe I said that producing empirical evidence of God is tough, not that I wasn't interested in empirical evidence. Empirical evidence is the only kind of evidence I am interested in.
Okay. But your being asked to project past 'it would be tough' to the point where 'I know God exists empirically' and examine empiricism from that perspective. I know you're not there but you don't need to be in order to consider the impact God's appearing would have on empiricism.
What I did say is that I have no idea what that empirical evidence would look like. If God had left a few scraps of possible evidence behind then perhaps it would be possible to make some educated guesses, but he is most notable for somehow leaving behind not a shred of evidence while being the most powerful being in the universe.
Objection appreciated - as it the objection which generally favors empirical knowledge vs. subjective 'knowledge'. But I'm not dealing with those objections here.
But the main point is that your insistence that God making himself empirically apparent would invalidate the empiricism by which he made himself apparent makes little sense,
Have you projected yourself into the position where God stands empirically before you (by God I mean "Creator of All")? Now look at empiricism and tell me what you see. Tell me where it's ability to provide you a degree of certainty regarding reality stems from.
But I'm not an unbelieving seeker.
You don't need to be to argue his case. It is the person who demands empirical evidence for the biblical God that I address. Unbelieving and in so demanding, seeking.
What would it take to convince you of my God, who unlike yours just happens to be consistent with the evidence?
I suppose it would involve a two-step approach. First dismantle my God so that I'm placed in a neutral position. Then argue convincingly for your God. The evidence for my God is overwhelming to me however - and I'm hoping you'll get to the point (via the issue under discussion) of realising that 'if God' then a person could be convinced in other-than-empirical ways.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.