tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post1440819328238275299..comments2024-03-27T20:37:09.185-05:00Comments on Alexander Pruss's Blog: Scepticism and causeless eventsAlexander R Prusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-28546969679194936312012-12-04T21:12:09.820-06:002012-12-04T21:12:09.820-06:00Reminds me of a spiritual crisis I had when I was ...Reminds me of a spiritual crisis I had when I was 13. It was Christmas Eve in 1974, and I was in church. I was up in the curch balcony waiting for the moment when I was to perform the flute solo that evening. As I thought about dedicating the performance to God, it suddenly out of nowhere hit me that there might not be be a God, and that I was dedicating my performance to nothing out there. It really bothered me, because this had never happenend to me before. As I write this I still can see the scene inside the church that night. I sat there struggling with this. Is there really a God out there or is there nothing. I remember thinking how the world was made up of atoms, but what made up the atoms? Well electrons, nutrons, positrons. Where did the electrons, nutrons, positrons come from? And thinking along these lines I worked my way back to a First Cause and that the First Cause had to be God. That for me was a major spiritual change that would set the tone for all the years from that point on (although for some of those years I was a Deist, but did not see myslef as a Christian, and I went through an agnostic/aethist period from the time I was about 36 until I was 42).Dagmara Lizlovshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14744785407281199347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-23281684458517483862012-12-03T21:07:37.039-06:002012-12-03T21:07:37.039-06:00March Hare:
Since we're looking at a very sho...March Hare:<br /><br />Since we're looking at a very short-lived mental state in USH, there really is very little detail there of that appearance, because at any given time, you can only think about only a little bit of detail. Probably, much of the time, all you have is a vague and not very complex thought like "There is lots of stuff that looks old." And it is no harder for that thought to come into existence <em>ex nihilo</em> than for the universe to do that.Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4677970140809904982012-12-03T12:43:12.607-06:002012-12-03T12:43:12.607-06:00This seems like Last Thursdayism in its simplest f...This seems like Last Thursdayism in its simplest form. One cause-less entity vs. many cause-less entities.ozero91https://www.blogger.com/profile/15383910270101919080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-11691689875718217012012-12-03T12:08:46.518-06:002012-12-03T12:08:46.518-06:00You would also have to take into account in the in...You would also have to take into account in the instant creation of a mind in this state that it includes the appearance of being in a universe that has laws (and what those laws are, if you know them) which bears all the hallmarks of having been around a long time and progressing to its current state through knowable processes such as erosion, supernovas, evolution etc.<br /><br />I would suggest that the instantaneous appearance of such a mind would stand shoulder to shoulder with the improbability of alternatives. If you're of the incredulous mindset rather than sceptical...March Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13116034158087704885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-22316208049820782862012-11-30T12:29:20.125-06:002012-11-30T12:29:20.125-06:00That sounds right, though it isn't as radical ...That sounds right, though it isn't as radical a sceptical hyptohesis anymore.Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-12261980626915122382012-11-30T12:27:19.689-06:002012-11-30T12:27:19.689-06:00But even if consciousness is caused, wouldn't ...But even if consciousness is caused, wouldn't some sort of Boltzmann brain, or brain-in-a-vat scenario be more parsimonious than scientific naturalism? I suppose it would depend upon the kind of universe necessary for there to be brains in vats. But it is at least intuitively possible for such a world to be simpler. <br /><br />-DanielAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1226723570150319992012-11-29T19:36:23.274-06:002012-11-29T19:36:23.274-06:00I suppose people who have a causal account of cons...I suppose people who have a causal account of consciousness will be unmoved.Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-54770877613656864232012-11-29T17:46:06.921-06:002012-11-29T17:46:06.921-06:00I had a thought similar to this. If something can ...I had a thought similar to this. If something can occur without explanation. Can experiences I have occur without explanation? Would this give me reason to doubt my experience of the external world?mrbentleebrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01530223902511168215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-38785132409580131072012-11-29T17:40:08.373-06:002012-11-29T17:40:08.373-06:00This kinda reminds me of a paper I'm reading r...This kinda reminds me of a paper I'm reading right now, perhaps you've also read it?<br /><br />CG Weaver's "What could be caused must actually be caused"<br /><br />He mentions the BCCF and Brouwer Analogy.ozero91https://www.blogger.com/profile/15383910270101919080noreply@blogger.com