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Re: Intelligent Design Should Not be Taught as Science
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Originally Posted by Southtown
And hypotheses delving into the realm of "first cause" are naturally doomed to remain hypotheses, correct?
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Hypotheses form the basis of scientific discussion, brainstorming, speculation and experimentation. Many of them start out with the words, "what if..." Many of them are engaged in in an informal manner: scientists sitting around a table in the corner of their favorite bar, over glasses of wine and beer, drawing on table napkins, and making puns with the word, "entropy". I doubt that a scientist EVER suggested they go to the dictionary to determine if their conversation was a real "hypothesis" or not.
But as mentioned in other posts, the proper outcome of a proper hypothesis is at least one prediction -- and the design of at least one experiment to test that prediction.
As to "first cause" -- there is no such thing. It's a rhetorical word-structure invented by Aristotle:
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Aristotle saw the primum movens (Gr. proton kinun) as the "mover unmoved" -- the prime mover. The question he worked on philosophically was the origin of existence and motion
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But "first cause" pre-supposes, or assumes, a source of god-like powers. So, you cannot use it to "prove" the existence of god. Circular logic. If all processes have a cause, then how can there be a first cause. This violates your first tenet that ALL processes have a cause. Any cause is itself a process and must have a prior cause, etc, etc. Nasty stuff, circular logic.
Many hypotheses (conversations) do not result in predictions or in doable experiments. I don't know what you call that conversation in that case. I'm not sure anyone cares. At least, not anyone whose life work is heavily involved with creating hypotheses. I'm not sure it even matters.
In any circle of serious researchers with an abiding passion to understand our universe, to suggest an hypothesis based upon "first cause" will probably elicit gales of laughter. You might as well base it upon "the Flying Spaghetti Monster". It's funny, but it doesn't forward the conversation. |
Your Friendly Neighborhood Administrator
I reject reality and substitute anything that is weird and improvable!
