Cosmologic philosophy: Egnor on Big Bang, etc. (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, September 30, 2021, 15:58 (1150 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: And Darwin made lots of mistakes, because He didn't know better like we now do. I've said not his fault!!! Your Guth-illogic damns Darwin.

dhw: You did not say “not his fault”. You said “Guth made no mistake”, and by extension, presumably you made no mistake when you informed me with confident authority in July that time did not exist before our BB. Guth was wrong and you were wrong! And Darwin was also wrong when he was wrong! But the comparison is silly. His mistakes have been revealed through the advance of scientific knowledge. Since 17 years ago, science has not suddenly revealed new facts about possible prior BBs! You in July and Guth 17 years ago simply didn’t think of the possibility of BBs or anything else before our own BB. Your problem was woolly thinking. Why have you suddenly decided that anyone who makes a mistake is “damned”? We all make mistakes. But some of us are slow to admit it.

DAVID: I am unchanged. Your bolded comment makes the point. We do not know of any prior BB's. Our BB may be the only one ever!!!

dhw: And it may not be, as you have acknowledged: “I hadn’t considered the possibility of prior BB’s seventeen years ago. With that point made, it is obvious there was prior time within prior possible BB’s.”

Yes, possible time in possible previous BB's doesn't change past statements or make them untrue at the time they are made.

DAVID: In the context of what Guth was considering, i.e., the origin of our BB, he was absolutely correct. Invented possible prior BB's do not change that fact . Guth's only point was time started with our BB.

dhw: And you agreed with him, and even said he had proved it. But now you disagree with him, because now you accept the possibility that BBs and hence time could have existed prior to our BB. So why do you say you are unchanged, when you’ve just admitted you are changed? Please, for your own sake, drop the subject.

I have my approach, you have yours. So be it.