There’ll be no tent for God at Camp Dawkins (UK)

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Stating chairs don't exist is the same as stating this forum doesn't exist. We all know both do. Hence, the statement is bunk.

 

Ed, you're an idiot.

 

Let me repeat that.

 

You're an idiot.

 

My example of "chairs don't exist" was solely to refute this false statement of yours from the third message in this thread: "And you can't disprove a negative either."

 

That statement of yours is false. It is easily shown to be false.

 

"Chairs don't exist" is a negative.

I can disprove this negative.

 

The above steps show that your statement "And you can't disprove a negative either" is false. It is IRRELEVANT that the statement is trivial; the important part is that it is a negative, and it's possible to disprove that particular negative -- hence, your claim that "you can't disprove a negative" is shown to be incorrect.

 

Is that what this lovely little camp is going to teach kids? How to disprove the obvious?

 

No Ed, it's to teach reasoning. And since you can't even understand this simple concept, after multiple attempts, you're just an idiot.

 

Seriously, Ed. If someone is trying to teach, say syllogistic logic, and they say:

 

1) All men are mortal

2) Socrates is a man

3) therefore, Socrates is mortal

 

...you don't "object" to this trivial example of logic by saying "DUH!! EVERYBODY KNOWS SOCRATES IS A MAN, DUH!!" That just misses the point entirely.

 

That's EXACTLY what you're doing regarding your stupid objections to my chair example. Yes, it IS a trivial example. It's an example of HOW YOU CAN DISPROVE A NEGATIVE.

 

A negative statement can usually be disproved by coming up with an example that the statement says does not exist.

 

Which means your original boneheaded statement of "And you can't disprove a negative either" is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

 

But you are LITERALLY too stupid to realize this.

 

I mean it Ed, you are about the dumbest person I've ever encountered. You can't understand the simplest concepts that have been explained time after time.

 

You are an idiot.

 

What is sad, Merlyn, is you can't acknowledge the existence of something you can't prove. Time to take off the blinders.

 

Does this mean you acknowledge the existence of unicorns, Ed?

 

My point - You can't prove God doesn't exist.

 

You can't prove unicorns don't exist.

 

PS: "you can't prove a negative" only applies to unbounded negatives (and "you can't prove a negative" typically implies that); you can prove some negatives if the search space is restricted, e.g. "there are no ordinary adult African elephants in this closet," which restricts the search space by having a limited volume and by disallowing magical elephants that could somehow be in the closet unnoticed.

[CA_Scouter]

Wahooker, I think there is enough sniping going on between Ed and Merlyn, so no need for any snipe hunt.

 

I submit that if you start calling people names, you should automatically lose. Its a corollary to the 'nazi' rule.

 

 

[evmori]

My my! Hostile aren't we, Merlyn. Again with the name calling.

 

Stating chairs don't exist is a false therefore not the same as stating unicorns don't exist. Everyone sits in a chair, has seen a chair, etc. I don't know if anyone has ever seen a unicorn, but I doubt it. Unicorns are know to be mythical creatures. Chairs are everyday pieces of furniture.

 

Snipes are actual birds wahooker!

 

 

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Ed, it isn't name calling. You really aren't able to understand.

 

These are ALL negative statements:

 

"unicorns don't exist"

"gods don't exist"

"chairs don't exist"

"coelacanths don't exist"

"tigers don't exist"

 

Understand Ed? ALL of the above are negative statements.

 

Do you agree, and understand, that ALL of the above are negative statements?

 

You stated that "you can't disprove a negative."

 

This is incorrect.

 

Three of the above five negative statements can be disproved; that means your statement is incorrect.

 

But you can't understand this simple logic, even though it's being taught to kids attending Camp Quest.

[Hal_Crawford]

Here we go again!

[Guest OldGreyEagle]

Since this has degenerated to more of the Ed and Merlyn show, I think it best to end thngs right here. A group of Atheists did what we often encourage them to do, provide their own program they way they want it and that's great. Isn't Liberty a great thing, where ever it is found. Last time this happened I lost my temper, won't do it this time, but in the words of the immortal Mr Wizard

 

"Drizzle, Drazzle, Drozzle, Drome, Time for this one to come home"