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Author Topic:   A Simplified Proof That The Universe Cannot Be Explained
bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2477 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 31 of 342 (784304)
05-16-2016 10:59 AM
Reply to: Message 29 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 8:25 AM


Dr Adequate writes:
Huh?
Sorry. I somehow misread your post. If you mean that in a reality of nothing contingent, nothing would be necessary, that seems to be correct on the face of it if we allow reality to be a nothing. However, surely any reality is something and it's necessary that there is one, so there does seem to a contradiction in the proposition of "nothingness" as a reality.

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 Message 29 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 8:25 AM Dr Adequate has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 32 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 12:28 PM bluegenes has replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 32 of 342 (784306)
05-16-2016 12:28 PM
Reply to: Message 31 by bluegenes
05-16-2016 10:59 AM


However, surely any reality is something and it's necessary that there is one ...
Why?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 31 by bluegenes, posted 05-16-2016 10:59 AM bluegenes has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 34 by bluegenes, posted 05-16-2016 1:39 PM Dr Adequate has replied

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 33 of 342 (784308)
05-16-2016 1:37 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 12:33 AM


Well of course entities exist in the reality that we are in. But I have demonstrated that they do not exist as a matter of logical necessity.
And yet I am none the wiser about whether actual necessary entities are real because you are inferring about things in your mind.
And to prove that the opposite was necessary, you would have to show that things couldn't be like that in an imaginary world.
I make no claims about an imaginary world.
In a situation where it is possible that something exists, can it also be possible that nothing exists?

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bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2477 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 34 of 342 (784309)
05-16-2016 1:39 PM
Reply to: Message 32 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 12:28 PM


Dr.Adequate writes:
Why?
Why is it necessary? Because its opposite can't be real.

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 Message 32 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 12:28 PM Dr Adequate has replied

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 Message 35 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 2:25 PM bluegenes has replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 35 of 342 (784310)
05-16-2016 2:25 PM
Reply to: Message 34 by bluegenes
05-16-2016 1:39 PM


Why is it necessary? Because its opposite can't be real.
I concede that unreality can't be real.
Nonexistence, on the other hand, can.
If someone told you that unicorns must exist because the unreality of unicorns can't be real, would you buy it?

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 Message 34 by bluegenes, posted 05-16-2016 1:39 PM bluegenes has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 36 by Percy, posted 05-16-2016 2:48 PM Dr Adequate has replied
 Message 38 by bluegenes, posted 05-16-2016 3:23 PM Dr Adequate has replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 36 of 342 (784312)
05-16-2016 2:48 PM
Reply to: Message 35 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 2:25 PM


Dr Adequate writes:
If someone told you that unicorns must exist because the unreality of unicorns can't be real, would you buy it?
Maybe it would help if we drew a distinction between things that are tangible, real, have existence, etc., and things that are ideas or concepts, which can be true or false or anywhere in between. Then we could call the unreality of unicorns "true" rather than "real." This might avoid the difficulty of somehow incorporating into our worldview that existence includes all ideas that are false, including those not yet thought of, or even ever thought of.
--Percy

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Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 37 of 342 (784315)
05-16-2016 3:12 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by Percy
05-16-2016 2:48 PM


Quite. Things exist or don't exist, propositions are true or untrue.

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bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2477 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 38 of 342 (784316)
05-16-2016 3:23 PM
Reply to: Message 35 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 2:25 PM


Dr. Adequate writes:
I concede that unreality can't be real.
Nonexistence, on the other hand, can.
Non-existence can't exist itself, making the existence of existence a necessity.
Dr. Adequate writes:
If someone told you that unicorns must exist because the unreality of unicorns can't be real, would you buy it?
No. But what actually exists is a state of no unicorns, or a reality of no unicorns. Unicorns are contingent, so you can have a unicorn or no unicorn reality. Because we say casually "unicorns don't exist" doesn't mean we've actually pulled non-existence itself into existence, merely that the current state of existence doesn't include them. We can't do that for reality and existence themselves, as their negations can't be real or exist.

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 Message 35 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 2:25 PM Dr Adequate has replied

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 Message 39 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-16-2016 4:17 PM bluegenes has replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 39 of 342 (784318)
05-16-2016 4:17 PM
Reply to: Message 38 by bluegenes
05-16-2016 3:23 PM


Non-existence can't exist itself ...
Can the non-existence of unicorns exist?

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 Message 38 by bluegenes, posted 05-16-2016 3:23 PM bluegenes has replied

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nano
Member (Idle past 1292 days)
Posts: 110
Joined: 09-25-2012


Message 40 of 342 (784320)
05-16-2016 5:10 PM
Reply to: Message 23 by jar
05-15-2016 10:42 PM


But you are assuming that the explanation must be logical and that the first cause had to be caused? Other than your unsupported assertions is there any evidence the first cause had to be caused?
Logically there can be no explanation because there is no first cause. There is only a first thing and it is uncaused. That is the point of the proof.

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 Message 23 by jar, posted 05-15-2016 10:42 PM jar has replied

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 Message 42 by Percy, posted 05-16-2016 5:17 PM nano has replied
 Message 44 by jar, posted 05-16-2016 8:08 PM nano has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 41 of 342 (784321)
05-16-2016 5:15 PM
Reply to: Message 39 by Dr Adequate
05-16-2016 4:17 PM


Dr Adequate writes:
Can the non-existence of unicorns exist?
It's hard to stay in sync in discussions like this. I thought we agreed when you said, "Things exist or don't exist, propositions are true or untrue," but if your question about "the non-existence of unicorns" implies it's a thing rather than a proposition then I probably misunderstood you.
--Percy

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Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 42 of 342 (784322)
05-16-2016 5:17 PM
Reply to: Message 40 by nano
05-16-2016 5:10 PM


nano writes:
There is only a first thing and it is uncaused.
But the lack of a cause doesn't imply a lack of an explanation.
--Percy

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 Message 40 by nano, posted 05-16-2016 5:10 PM nano has replied

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 Message 60 by nano, posted 05-17-2016 4:06 PM Percy has replied

  
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 43 of 342 (784324)
05-16-2016 5:45 PM
Reply to: Message 41 by Percy
05-16-2016 5:15 PM


It's hard to stay in sync in discussions like this. I thought we agreed when you said, "Things exist or don't exist, propositions are true or untrue," but if your question about "the non-existence of unicorns" implies it's a thing rather than a proposition then I probably misunderstood you.
No, I'm implying that it would be silly for that to be a thing.

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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 44 of 342 (784325)
05-16-2016 8:08 PM
Reply to: Message 40 by nano
05-16-2016 5:10 PM


Logically there can be no explanation because there is no first cause. There is only a first thing and it is uncaused. That is the point of the proof.
But there can be an explanation; for example "The first cause has no prior cause." would be an explanation. "It is turtles all the way down." is an explanation. "Brahma slept and dreamed." is an explanation.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

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Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 45 of 342 (784329)
05-16-2016 9:25 PM
Reply to: Message 44 by jar
05-16-2016 8:08 PM


But there can be an explanation; for example "The first cause has no prior cause." would be an explanation.
That wouldn't be an explanation, just an observation.
"It is turtles all the way down." is an explanation.
How do you explain all the turtles?
"Brahma slept and dreamed." is an explanation.
Why is there Brahma?

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 Message 44 by jar, posted 05-16-2016 8:08 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
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