Re: Rational Methodology

From: Dick Fischer (dickfischer@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed Nov 29 2000 - 23:35:15 EST

  • Next message: SHinrichs9@aol.com: "Re: Rational Methodology for Evaluating Supernatural Claims"

    At 08:21 AM 11/28/00 -0500, it was written:

    >A key logical concept used in Science for determining the
    >truth about reality is called Proof by Elimination (PE). If
    >there is a theory that describes a certain reality and all
    >possible hypothesis for explaining that certain reality are
    >false except for one hypothesis, then PE implies that this one
    >non-false hypothesis is true. For example, if there were 10
    >different possible hypothesis for explaining a certain event
    >and it was shown that 9 out of the 10 were implausible,
    >implying they were false, then there would be a logical case
    >that the one remaining plausible hypothesis was true.

    You have no room for unknown causes. In your "example"
    there are 10 "possible" explanations. In practice, only the
    explanations that are known to be possible can be among the
    10. You eliminate 9 as implausible or false. The remaining
    hypothesis is only a possible explanation not proven false.

    You can't imply "true" unless you can test your hypothesis
    with experiments where you can predict the outcome and
    get the outcome you predicted. Miracles are not repeatable
    through experimentation. Therefore, you can never prove
    that anything was the product of an act of miraculous
    intervention.

    Have a good day.

    Dick Fischer - The Origins Solution - www.orisol.com
    "The answer we should have known about 150 years ago."



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