Evolutionary theory cannot be falsified (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, April 03, 2017, 12:39 (2790 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: Of course, to anticipate your favourite response, we cannot “know” his characteristics – as Tony says, we can only infer them – but that applies equally to the argument that he has none. It is all a matter of what you believe. Do you actually believe he has none of the above attributes? If so, are they all the inventions of his creations?

DAVID: Your question answers itself. What I believe and what I 'know' are the difference between faith and no faith. I believe He has some/many of the attributes you listed, but I cannot 'know that.

And you cannot even know that God exists. All we can do is study life and either draw conclusions or not draw conclusions. It therefore seems to me perfectly reasonable to discuss the issue of God’s existence AND his purpose AND his nature, and it is not unreasonable to base our discussions on the possibility that he has many of the attributes I have listed, unless you regard your own beliefs as unreasonable. Nor is it unreasonable to assume that if he exists, there will be a clear explanation for his actions, and this may well be connected with the human attributes you believe he has. Of course you have every right to dismiss all the different hypotheses I have proposed on the grounds that we cannot know the truth – but that applies equally to your own anthropocentric interpretation of life’s history, which you cling to despite the fact that you cannot find a "clear explanation" for the dichotomy I have again outlined under “God and evolution”.