Atheists who attack Christianity

Well, to be perfectly fair, some (reasonably credible, not fringe types) scientists are now starting to think that for life to develop (At least beyond a fairly primative level), the planet would have to be a lot closer to earth than we used to think. I've even heard some theorize that a single moon would be required.

I'm not an expert in the field, I don't claim to know either way. Just throwing that out there.

I'm certainly not denying the possibility. I'm stating it's a leap of faith to believe there are other Earths without any other proof than the existence of this Earth.

What are the probabilities of there being another Earth? And how is this number figured?

Finning, you remind me of the illogical scientist from Dilbert. You continue to derive your assertions from insupportable statements. There is one Earth that is known of. This is simply not an adequate sample size for anything but the vaguest statement of the possibility of further Earth-like planets.

Understand that I am not contesting the likelihood that there are more. It just isn't supportable to say that there must be more.

Are unicorns living in your sock drawer, Ananda?

Scientists want to claim their statements are based on fact. They should stick to them.

You have made a baseless assumption that I even have a sock drawer, Reitsuki.
The unicorns are roaming the forbidden forest with Harry Potter, of course!

Actually, it is now fairly common opinion within the scientific community that conditions do not need to be as Earth-like as we once believed.

Then where do you keep your socks???

Because it's based on probability. You assume you that you will wake up in the morning, and you proabably will. But there is no guarantee that you will.

such a cheerful thought, eh? lol

Are they shifting AGAIN?

Damnit, this is why I hate science. Every time I think I'm on the cutting edge I'm five years behind.

LOL no, that has been the general opinon for a decent number of years now.

One name: Max Tegmark.

His work is hardly insupportable.

Thank You, Have a Nice Day.

Thanks, Jake.



What would be your personal interpretation about this? On the one hand, that all things are illusory, and impermanent, but that something (but not thing) continues on from life to life. As I have mentioned elsewhere on the forums, I have experienced an "I" that is seperable in time and space from the composite of body and mind that people generally mean when they refer to me by name.

Or to put it another way, is there any you there anymore when you recognize reality?

Hmm, a quick search would bring up the news that he had discovered another earth-like planet, wouldn't it? No such luck.

Of course, it's silly of me to point you in the right direction and expect you to do your own work, - if I were /sensible/, I'd spend the next three weeks trying to feed you the education I received over the past decade, and be sure that I still fit in feeding myself, my cats, and my job, right?

Just a link would do.

See, in the world where /I/ exist, not all academic work exists as a free publication on the World Wide Web - some people actually order, hold, and read these things call "Books" and thereby get their education. It ensures that the people who did the hard work get paid for their hard work. In the world where /I/ exist, people are capable of and expected to not hold nor espouse strong opinions about the things they don't understand (with the occasional exception of mistaken gender identity on text forums!) and anyone actually familiar with the subject being discussed would have already been familiar with a leading academic in it.

*rolls eyes*

Indeed, or at least mention something that isn't a blind alley. Max Tegmark, I gather, is a cosmologist, and his work has only the most tangential bearing on the question at hand.
If he has expressed any interest in the discovery of Earth-like planets, he sure hasn't made it his business lately.

This served about as much purpose as me pointing you to H.P. Lovecraft if you had asked about New England girls' schools.

Information is the bane of a free market, and a free market is the glass jaw of Democracy.

Ooooh. Talk more geeky to me.

Oh, and your name is a combination of a raven and a dragon! Bran!

Tell me more about my Economics. *purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

Yeah, he's a cosmologist - which {sarcasm} has only a tangential bearing on modelling the possibilities and demonstrating the existence of other, Earth-like worlds.{/sarcasm}

Well goodness!!!

Max Tegmark said it. It must be wholly irrefutable, beyond questioning. All scientific inquiry into the matter, all conflicting conclusions by other, lesser thinkers, can safely be withdrawn. Case closed. The mystery is solved!

Sorry about these other people. They weren't aware that if Max Tegmark's name is dropped, all discussion must cease because Max Tegmark is infallible and all-knowing, the source of all answers.

You win the thread.

Edit: Alas. If only Dr. John Sanford were like Max Tegmark. We could have solved the evolution debate once and for all, too.

Max Tegmark has some interesting speculations, including an extremely shaky case for being able to test whether or not the universe is infinite. We could stop right there and declare the case closed, naturally. Let's start a new religion! Many people already consider infinity and God to be basically the same concept.

This is nonsensical as a proof of anything, but it did turn out to be fascinating reading. You do realize, of course, that a secondary consequence of this theory is that absolutely nothing, no matter how absurd, can be ruled out from happening somewhere in the universe(s)? Bear in mind that we still cannot claim to have a complete descriptive set of all physical laws, or even account for all the phenomena assumed to be physical in nature, let alone first-hand experiences with the non-physical.

Know that you don't know everything, and you'll find that you get along better at parties.

Here's a link

Hey, that's a handy link.

*adds to Favorites*

Did you notice you can switch between the Koran and Book of Mormon too?