You could also think that by definition, some parts of religion are impossible to prove / disprove, and different strokes for different folks, and then go have some tea. :)
What's your sample size for believing that people can't shoot fireballs out of their hands or walk on water?
(Where I’m going with that question is: “Well your sample size isn’t large enough.” See? There’s no way to argue against faith.)
I can't believe in 2022, on a website dedicated to tech and other interesting things, I'm having a conversation with some one ardently defending whether humans can shoot fireballs out of their hands and walk on water or not.
> I'm having a conversation with some one ardently defending whether humans can shoot fireballs out of their hands and walk on water or not.
You aren't.
You're having a conversation with someone trying to describe how other people look at the topic. (That's why, for example, I put quotes around “Well your sample size isn’t large enough.”) But since you're not interested in that, I'll stop.
I understand very well how other people look at it. They ignore logic when it is convenient. They say, "Yeah, look at those flat earthers, bunch of silly idiots", then turn around and swear they hear god speak to them at the same time. It's delusional.
Arguing by the year is a fallacy. It's a logic smell.
("I can't believe that in 2022, people still argue that way." See how that doesn't actually say anything that anyone ought to take seriously? It just uses the assumption of rightness to pressure anyone who disagrees.)
Did I say that? Why, no, I did not. You're putting words in my mouth, which you do not have the right to do. You're generating a... not even a strawman[1], just a blatantly made-up position that you're assigning to me. And then you're not even disproving that made-up position, you're just mocking it. That's really shoddy argumentation.
My claim is that "argument by year" may be a cute rhetorical flourish, but it's completely worthless as an actual argument. You used it, and I'm calling you on it. If you want to argue against peoples' irrational beliefs, find a better way to do it.
[1] A strawman is a weak version of an opponent's position, not a completely unrelated position.
Look, you made the original post. That "pidgeon" that you're mad at? You're not replying to them.
But even if you were... you reply to one person, but more than one person reads your reply. If you match the stupidity of the person you reply to, then everyone else who reads it concludes that you're just as stupid, and that your position is just as badly-supported. So that approach is pretty counterproductive.
I made the original pigeon post? Did you read the part asking me for sample size on wizards?
How about you tell all here what is a reasonable sample size for being able to rule out wizards? How many people have you seen shooting fireballs out of their hands?
You made the original "Questions on Delusional Thinking" post, which was something of a rant. That wasn't in reply to anyone - it was the original post.
You're obviously mad at someone, and it sounds like it's someone religious, who believes in miracles. But you didn't reply to them. Instead, you came here to rant at us.
I'll give you the last word, because I have no interest in going further with this conversation.
What is wrong with my question on delusional thinking? Is it not an active area of discussion among psychologists? Is it not important to understand what delusional thoughts are versus rational thoughts?
You could also think that by definition, some parts of religion are impossible to prove / disprove, and different strokes for different folks, and then go have some tea. :)
What's your sample size for believing that people can't shoot fireballs out of their hands or walk on water?
(Where I’m going with that question is: “Well your sample size isn’t large enough.” See? There’s no way to argue against faith.)