The Philosophy Discussion Forum

phyllo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2026 9:27 pm That's what you're posting because you want to avoid dealing with the divinity of Jesus.

You're hilarious.

Yes, that's what Christians just hate to talk about...you got me.

And you don't get formal reasoning. Well, somebody doesn't, I suppose. But there's no more that can be done with that. Let's lay that aside for a moment. You can think you derived First Cause and I think you needed/had to use an axiom for it, but either way, let's say you have First Cause, which yo...

I don't think we have reason to think that's true, at all. [That within Nature ‘evil’ is a non-existent category]. The Materialist may think that; but you now claim not to be a Materialist. And it's certainly not a given. It really is ‘a given’. No, it's really not. It is really more than just a “m...

You are so far from the point, I don't know what to say. It's not "integers," but causal chains that are the issue. I showed you the mathematical evidence, I showed you the empirical confirmation...I even pointed out how your own ancestors illustrate the point, and you still didn't get it...

Naturally, that response doesn't address the trustworthiness of the metaphysicist's brain at all Actually, it does. The metaphysicist may have reason to trust his brain. For example, he may consider that he's in a universe that runs by rational rules and logical relations, or that his brain is deli...

There is NO problem with "infinite regress" Yeah, sorry...there is. There's no such thing as an infinite regress of causes , because logically and mathematically, such a chain cannot ever start. It eternally lacks the prerequisite to begin. YES in the absence of a First Cause would mean &...

Across the world, people follow many beliefs, religions, and ways of seeing life. But when truth matters, how can we know which worldview truly reflects reality? The truth is not a worldview as much as it's a distinction. It is a knowing of Self that is irefutable and held with conviction. It leads...

There is NO problem with "infinite regress" Yeah, sorry...there is. There's no such thing as an infinite regress of causes , because logically and mathematically, such a chain cannot ever start. It eternally lacks the prerequisite to begin. YES in the absence of a First Cause would mean &...

So he ought not to have any expectation that science is even doable. This is tiresome. Not relevant what you as a believer in some deity believe the materialist SHOULD believe. Well, I'm only talking about somebody who was rational and consistent, and said he was beginning from Materialist assumpti...

I don't think that's at all true, either. There are many reasons people choose to believe what they believe, and often these reasons are not rational. However, lots of people here do not believe mere Materialism. And I might add, without giving away too much, that unbeknownst to you, I have been to...

Naturally, that response doesn't address the trustworthiness of the metaphysicist's brain at all Actually, it does. The metaphysicist may have reason to trust his brain. For example, he may consider that he's in a universe that runs by rational rules and logical relations, or that his brain is deli...

phyllo wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2026 3:41 pm Since metaphysicists believe all sorts of contradictory things, then their brains must also be lying to them.

How can they trust their brains?

No, what that means is only that not all metaphysicians can be right at the same time. It doesn't mean some can't be right.

Zeno was here -Imp Quite so ....... IC does not seem to realize that the idea of there having to be a First Cause arose while philosophers still had difficulty with "infinity". No, that's not it. You've missed the point again, I'm afraid. Nobody "has difficulty" with the idea of...

Impenitent wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2026 4:10 pm Zeno was here

-Imp

Zeno never arrives.

Oh, not at all. Materialism has the very problem you've identified: it's completely handicapped when it comes to accounting for the real existence of anything non-material, such as mind, consciousness, identity, meaning, aesthetics, morals...all things we live with every day, but can't be reduced t...