erm ... the omnipotent one usually attributed as being the cause of all causes ... how about you? Not all atheists .... just the philosophical ones
erm ..... I wasn't aware where we suddenly switched from discussing a topic of logic to a topic of truth, but anyway, I'm happy enough to go in that direction now that you bring it up .... Actually I have plenty of evidence that it is true. Now what? hehe the only way for this statement to be true is if you are omnipotent Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! well actually I do I know that design has the requirement of potency. That's why we deem certain things capable of being designed by ants, other things by humans, and yet others by god Unlike you when you make claims like "I know what you know", eh? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
You produce this alleged evidence and it is replicated and verified or it fails to be verified and replicated. You still don't know any entities with "greater potency than humans" but by all means introduce them if you wish to assert that you do. You should look up the word "omnipotent." nor do you know the requirements for designing anything by such beings. You don't know that. You are just assuming it. Creating a universe could be easier than falling off a log for all you know. You are just making crap up because you like the way it makes you feel. In fact, given the size and scope of a universe, it seems for more reasonable that no potency is required. You are wholly ignorant about every single aspect of gods. All you are doing is making up fantasy gods.
Life itself and all of the current research into creating synthetic life, which is coming quite along quite nicely.
The other examples we have are generally very limited and not terribly prolific. Termites are probably the most sophisticated, their housing structures are better than ours by far, but that is their only design.
Swarm Interesting. So IOW the capacities of design are very much determined by the communities that they appear in. And further more, the hierarchy of design sophistication is top down ... unless you are suggesting that termites have a conscious recognition of the human community and recognize and acknowledge the greater soophistication verified an replicated by who exactly? Ironically, the only way for your all-knowing statement to be true is if you possessed omnipotence, omniscience, etc ....... Beats me why you find this point controversial. All design requires some degree of potency Even falling off a log requires the potency to get on top of one in the first place Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! meanwhile you have the audacity to declare (in a world where we cannot even design a computer or car without an after sales assistance network) that creating a universe stands to be as easy as falling off a log .... um dude what planet are you on? :m: hehe even if I was making things up, its not clear why you would personally hold that against me duh So during the interim of your lack of evidence you can use the word "god" to take on the hue of any meaning for the purposes of "logical" Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!eekPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! discussion, eh?
The place to look is inside. We have a conscience that must deal with suffering and death. Every religion deals with the human conscience. There are several views in the field of philosophy: Philosophy of the Mind It is also examined in the field of psychology: Spiritual Healing The nonconscious part of the mind is like an ocean. I'd like to know what's in there. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Id, Ego, Superego
I find this debate as a whole to be a tiresome repetition of two degrees of absolutist views claiming one side is right when human beings will never be able to fully grasp the scope and meaning of existence and how it came to be.
'Life itself'? What is that? How do you define 'life'? How do you recognize whether something is 'life', and something else is not? What are your criteria for such a recognition?
Evil is the absense of genuine love. Genuine love is selfless love, expecting nothing in return except the benefit of the other person. Hence evil is a form of selfishness coupled with a conscience that knows better.
What was god's community? It can be, it can also be bottom up and middle out. Any one who cares to. Ironically you still don't know any entities with "greater potency than humans." Sure if you are designing a screw. But there is no know form of "potency" which could effect an entire universe so why should I think that's required? It makes far more sense for it to be effortless. Actually I say that it is absurd to think a universe is designed or created. Because you are making crap up and pretending its real in a way I find offensive. Its a meaningless term which you already just make crap up about, why can't I?
But where does evil come from? Why are people evil? How come people are selfish? And how come that they have a conscience that knows better? Who or what decides what that 'benefit of the other person is'? The other person? The one who loves selflessly? Someone or something else?