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Author Topic:   Is String Theory Supernatural?
Taq
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Posts: 10072
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 104 of 181 (698189)
05-03-2013 6:55 PM
Reply to: Message 103 by AZPaul3
05-03-2013 6:22 PM


Re: What is supernatural?
Form? Who said "form?" What I read from GDR was "inform."
So what science informed GDR that God used evolution to create humanity?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 103 by AZPaul3, posted 05-03-2013 6:22 PM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 106 by AZPaul3, posted 05-03-2013 7:32 PM Taq has replied

  
Taq
Member
Posts: 10072
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.2


(2)
Message 111 of 181 (698373)
05-06-2013 9:49 AM
Reply to: Message 106 by AZPaul3
05-03-2013 7:32 PM


Re: What is supernatural?
A number of them. Biology, palentology, in total I think we call it Evolutionary Science.
As I said in my message above, the science does not say anything about his god. He adds his god to the mix.
GDR has already formed his philosophy around god and that god made all things happen. What science does is inform him of the specific methods he can now say his god used to accomplish the task.
To us science discovers the models and mechanisms (descent with modification) while to GDR science discovers the models and mechanisms his god used (descent with modification). The science is the same.
Quite simple really. The one thing GDR is NOT saying is that science is proving or confirming his god. He doesn't need that. God is a foregone conclusion to him. The only question is "how'd he do it?" and science provides him with the answers.
Hey, GDR, I'm putting a lot of words in your mouth. Feel free to spit them back out.
GDR is claiming that he used science to form his beliefs. His belief is that God acted through evolution. Nowhere is there any scientific study that shows this. As you say, he takes his pre-existing belief and adds it to the science. That is not a process of using science to form beliefs.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 106 by AZPaul3, posted 05-03-2013 7:32 PM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 112 by Tangle, posted 05-06-2013 5:58 PM Taq has replied
 Message 118 by AZPaul3, posted 05-08-2013 7:57 AM Taq has not replied

  
Taq
Member
Posts: 10072
Joined: 03-06-2009
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 114 of 181 (698479)
05-07-2013 11:48 AM
Reply to: Message 112 by Tangle
05-06-2013 5:58 PM


Re: What is supernatural?
GDR flexes both what the bible says and what science says to fit his beliefs.
He believes in a loving god so he dismisses the hard parts of both old and new testaments and focuses on the soft. He interprets each new scientific discovery as revealing how god did it rather than treat what the bible says as literal. This means that every new scientific discovery is an opportunity to wonder at the ways of the Lord.
It's pretty cool, it means than no matter what is discovered it can not contradict his beliefs and moreover, the more incredible the discovery, the more amazing it proves the Lord to be. Science therefore confirms the belief.
In the rational person, beliefs can only be broken if the belief can't flex. Faith's beliefs can't flex so her defense is to irrationally deny the science, GDR's beliefs not only flex, they accommodate science; it's far less damaging and it's pretty much how the Anglican Church and to some extent, the Catholic Church, has been able to survive.
My real interest as it relates to this thread is the intersection of science and the supernatural. Once again, it would appear that science does not inform beliefs about the supernatural. The supernatural is still defined by our ignorance, and that definition is enforced by the claims that the supernatural can not be evidenced.
At one time in history the evidence of the supernatural was said to be all around us. The changing of the seasons, the path of the Sun in the sky, and the fermentation of grapes was all seen as the direct result of the supernatural. Over time, scientific explanations took the place of the supernatural. To protect what space the supernatural has left people will now claim that the supernatural can not be evidenced in the natural world, the exact opposite of how the supernatural used to be viewed. To paraphrase Stephen Weinberg, for those who claim there is no conflict between religion and science they may not realize how much territory religion has ceded.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 112 by Tangle, posted 05-06-2013 5:58 PM Tangle has seen this message but not replied

  
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