Burden of Proof Re: [FoRK] Practicing Science: Secular vs. Religious Ideology

[Dr. Ernie Prabhakar]

Hi Jeff,

On Jan 10, 2008, at 3:55 PM, Jeff Bone wrote:
> As I see it, Dr. Ernie, extraordinary claims require extraordinary  
> proof.
>
> Since your camp is THE one making extraordinary claims, I feel the  
> (initial) burden of (extraordinary) proof is on you.

Okay, fair enough.

> Oh, wait, right, you can't provide it.  In fact, doing so would  
> undermine the whole *vaaaalue* of your system, since it's all based  
> on FAAAITH.  Believing DESPITE the total lack of evidence of any  
> kind is a BADGE OF HONOR, and a requirement for admission to the club.

Funny how you seem to be so certain about the rules of a club you  
don't belong to.  The clubs I belong to all place a great deal of  
value on reason <http://www.asa3.org/>.

Here's a frightening thought: maybe there's a whole bunch of  
Christians out there who do NOT subscribe to the kind of anti- 
rationalist mindset you've experienced, but you're worldview refuses  
to accept that possibility.

> So game over.  You have no standing whatsoever to insist that  
> anybody engage in a reasonable critical discussion of your system,  
> since you by definition cannot do the same!

Only by your definition, not mine.  That sounds a bit like Christians  
claiming atheists can't understand any truth since they're minds are  
"spiritually darkened".  Not nice of you steal our cheap debating  
tactics w/o giving credit. :-P

> Any effort on my, or anyone else's, part to engage you on that basis  
> would simply be wasted;  you can't have a rational debate with  
> somebody who is by their own admission irrational.

I am not by "my own admission irrational".  My position is that my  
belief in Christianity is no more anti-rational that my belief in the  
mathematical structure of the universe, or the value of scientific  
inquiry.

And yes, I'd be happy to back up that claim, if you (or anyone else)  
would be willing to discuss it in *rationalist* terms, rather than a  
priori discounting all my arguments.

-- Ernie P.