onewheeldave Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 So I'm guessing that Santa is going to be defined in such a way that no experiment can show he doesn't exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Of course, so that he resembles the christian god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin-H Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 So I'm guessing that Santa is going to be defined in such a way that no experiment can show he doesn't exist? Yes - that's the whole point. No experiment can prove that god does or doesn't exist either, hence the comparison. We can change Santa to Zeus if you like, or Ganesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewheeldave Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Whether or not God, or Santa, can be proved to exist or not exist, rests entirely on the defining characteristics of God, or Santa, surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Not really, negative proofs are impossible unless there's a defined set to work within. By definition supernatural things are not within defined sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewheeldave Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Not really, negative proofs are impossible unless there's a defined set to work within. By definition supernatural things are not within defined sets. They do have defining characteristics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnailyBoy Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 They do have defining characteristics. Go on then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewheeldave Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Go on then. The defining characteristics depend on who's talking about them. For example, where God's concerned, if it's a discussion amongst philosophers in the Western tradition, historically, the various factions (both those for and against God's existence) have agreed on omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence as being 3 defining characteristics. Having agreed on what it is they're actually talking about, each side would then precede to attempt to prove/disprove Gods existence on the basis of those characteristics and their consequences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Santa is invisible to all recording equipment, and adults. Only children can see him if they believe. Not quite true, there's a site where hou can track him as he makes deliveries at Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 They do have defining characteristics. Those characteristics happen to make it impossible to measure them of course, what with them being supernatural, not existing within the physical world, not being amenable to demonstrating their own existence in any way, shape or form, and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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