<< Not in principle unprovable (in the sense used by the Vienna Circle and
logical positivism). It is impractical at present. There is a difference.
In principle one could build a dam across Gibraltar now, wait 4000 years
for the water to evaporate, and then dig on the bottom. As you see, that is
impractical, but not impossible. But then, I would point out that all
scientific views are unprovable. Scientific theories can only be
falsified, not proven. When predicted data is found for a theory, the
theory is CONFIRMED not proven. In that regard my views are no different
than the Laws of Newton. >>
Glenn,
I'm no logician of science, but being "impractical," in your example, is so
outlandish, IMHO, as to be the equivalent of "impossible in principle."
Besides there is a more "practical" way to search for evidence to confirm
your view. You decide where in the Mediterranean basin was the probable site
of the Garden of Eden and where the Noachian civilization was perhaps
located, raise a few million bucks for a drilling project, and start drilling
some bore holes to see what you can find.
You say, "But then, I would point out that all scientific views are
unprovable. Scientific theories can only be falsified, not proven." That's
not so, as Popper later granted, since to falsify P is ipso facto to verify
not P, as Rob Koons pointed out in a different list. And what if countless
attempts to falsify a scientific view fail, and all further attempts to do so
have been exhausted, is the view finally proved, or is it just "not
falsified"? Besides, who's paying attention to the Vienna Circle these days?
I go with the OED definition of "prove," also provided by Koons, as "to make
good, establish, to establish a thing as true; to demonstrate the truth of by
evidence or argument," According to this definition It seems to me your
theory is not proven.
To say "In that regard my views are no different than the Laws of Newton" is
completely inaccurate, again, IMHO. Instead I would say that your views are
more consonant with the many-worlds hypothesis, which is indeed, impossible
in principle to confirm.
But I'll go along with your terminology. Your view regarding the
Mediterranean basin as the site of Eden and Noah's flood is not confirmed,
and for practical purposes is unconfirmable. I take it that that is an
accurate statement?
Best regards,
Bob