which one is the most reliable to acquire scientific knowledge?Those are two different things. You don't need to pick just one. Empiricism is about using your senses to gather data, but we've expanded our ability to "see" things by using telescopes and spectrometers. Rationalism is about using evidence and logic to arrive at a conclusion. Each has their place and their limits.
Flacus, please list the different ways of obtaining knowledge you are concerned about.
It would be easier to compare and contrast your options than to just list the methods and benefits of science.
3point14rat:
‘List the different ways to gain knowledge that you are concerned with.’ My ways to gain knowledge is empiricism and rationalism.
Okay, it’s going to be a while before we get this evidence, so the only logical thing to do while we wait is to make wild, uninformed guesses as to the nature of this evidence and take bets.
We have to lay down some ground rules. First, I’m not rich, so no crazy bets. I live in rural Iowa and have a DSL speed of 12MB, so I don’t have Internets just falling out of the closet for me or anything. And odds for anything are 1:1.
I wracked my brain on this and the part about it interacting with matter really got me thinking. And the conversation involves spirits. There are a few voodoos which “interact with matter”, but dealing with the spirit we can rule out telekinesis and silverware assassinations, I think. Then there’s the aura, but that’s something some people claim to “see” (see complimentary colors involving prolonged color exposure in the eye). BUT there actually HAVE been claims to measure it, and one pops into mind immediately, so I have my bet.
I bet 10 Internets it’s an offshoot of Kirlian Photography.
I bet 10 Internets it’s an offshoot of Kirlian Photography.100 quatlooms says it's anecdotal evidence, something a family experienced.
Damn. I forgot that it might be “not repeatable”. I’m not feeling good about this bet now.
It’s a phenomenon that happens every day.
It’s a phenomenon that you will find strange and even funny.
maybe you can explain this phenomenon.
This phenomenon occurs to me is a personal experience!
Flacus, be careful how much suspense you try to build.
No one here is expecting a whole lot so it won’t take much to impress us. This never ending parade of teasers is not needed and can only work against you.
I’ve never purchased anything sold by an infomercial, so stop imitating one. Just get on with the big reveal.
My second guess was a multi-page analysis of ghost stories and NDEs throughout history, all with a common thread. I guess that one’s out.
I think you will mock me.
maybe I am wrong and you can explain to me the true cause of this phenomenon.
3point, don’t ruin this for me! If I get enough hints I could win me some desperately needed Internets. And whatever “quatlooms” are! I want them BECAUSE I don’t know what they are!
maybe today I’ll show you the evidence. But I hope you don’t mock me!
And whatever “quatlooms” are! I want them BECAUSE I don’t know what they are!They are redeemable on Triskelion, but only to place more bets and win more of quatlooms.
I hope you don't mock me.I'll restrain myself, but I can't speak for others. If you think you might be mocked, don't you think your position might need to be re-thought? If you present yourself as "this is an idea, I think it has flaws, please help me", that's different from "here's proof".
The whole guessing thing is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. And honestly, not one of us here actually expects you to have anything. But don’t take it personally. There has been more than one time in my life I really thought I was onto something big only to be shot down like an idiot. It’s part of growing intellectually. If you try and fail, you’re no different than me. To mock you is to mock myself for doing the same thing, and several times, not just once.
I could not put an exact figure on how sure I am that you’re wrong, but it’s well over 99%. But I always have some doubt. If we’re ever 100% sure we’re right, we’re probably not smart enough to be holding an opinion on that thing or have a bias we are either unaware of or just accept.
I promise you, if I find a problem with it, I will not mock you. I will patiently explain the problems as I see them. As I said, I’ve been there myself on more than one occasion.
Oooh, Triseklion. I’ve heard of that. I don’t know where or when, but the word registers in my head as “definitely vaguely familiar”. I think it’s a ship or something. Probably in space! I’m going to frigging space! Oh, wait. I have to win first and I think I already lost 10 Internets.
I had never given any thought to morality coming from God until long after I stopped believing. Had I been in the church a few more years I surely would have, though. They had some pretty archaic beliefs. I remember my best friend at the time, the 16 year old pastor’s son, saying something about dinosaurs not being real, that they were just made up by scientists, to which I responded that they had full dinosaur skeletons in museums. His response was dumbfounding to me, even back then. It was simply, “Really?”
I better search
so that I can present evidence
I stop here
thanks !
What I have is not evidence.
I don’t want you to waste time
if I have evidence I’ll be back here
thank you all
Oh, come on! Now you have to tell us! I had my mind all set on examining what you had and I’m curious as hell!
And it was YOU who figured out that it was wrong, so you can’t be mocked. You made a mistake. Happens to all of us. But then you discovered that mistake and you owned up to that mistake. That takes a willingness to examine your own beliefs objectively and courage to admit, behavior which is beyond reproach. At this point, with you already saying you were wrong, there’s nothing to mock.