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Channel: Philosophy – William M. Briggs
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Yep, Probability Is Not As Simple As You Think

Couple of folks (Mike W, Dan Hughes) asked me to comment on the article “The concept of probability is not as simple as you think” by Nevin Climenhaga. Three popular theories analyse probabilities as...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: God Does Not Eliminate The Need For Science 1

Previous post. This is a very large, but not especially difficult, Chapter, so we’ll bust it into two parts. ON THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO TAKE AWAY PROPER ACTIONS FROM NATURAL THINGS 1 From this...

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The False Ontology Of The Racist, Homophobe, RINO, Antisemite, Et Cetera

Christians say the believer is enjoined to “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: God Does Not Eliminate The Need For Science 2

Previous post. This is the conclusion of last week’s chapter. Review! ON THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO TAKE AWAY PROPER ACTIONS FROM NATURAL THINGS 16 Moreover, as it is the function of the good to make...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: God And Natural Effects

Previous post. This week we learn God doesn’t have to do all the work, as it were. HOW THE SAME EFFECT IS FROM GOD AND FROM A NATURAL AGENT 1 Now, it seems difficult for some people to understand how...

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On True And False Theories

What makes a theory true? Bad question, that. Conflates too easily why a theory is true with our knowledge whether a theory is true. Both are subjects of great interest, but they are not the same...

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The Power To Kill Without Detection

Suppose you discover a device which allows you to kill those whom you would. The device’s “batteries” never run out; it will always work and never disappoint. The device is of such excellence that you...

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A Failed Argument Against Free Will: Predicting Actions

It is always hilarious when people rail against free will, who are especially flummoxed that Common Man believes in free will, and say “If only people realized their choices weren’t free, they would...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Evil

Previous post. In which the age-old question is answered: If God exists, whence comes evil? THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT ENTIRELY EXCLUDE EVIL FROM THINGS 1 Now, from these conclusions it becomes...

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Non-Empirical Confirmation Of Theories

Difficulties “Fundamental physics today faces the problem that empirical testing of its core hypotheses is very difficult to achieve and even more difficult to be made conclusive,” says Richard Dawid...

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The Anti-Christian New York Times Says God Not Coherent

That the New York Times is anti-Christian is obvious enough. Most of its founders, leaders, and top employees are not Christian, and thus the paper naturally has an in-built bias, which at times...

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An Argument Against The Multiverse

The multiverse might be real. God might in His wisdom and love of completeness and true diversity and the joy of filling all possible potentials with actuality might have created such a thing. Indeed,...

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The Spirit World Is Alive And Well And Surrounds Us

I ever tell you this story? This is Detroit when I was a boy, maybe 5. Sunday, watching golf on TV with my dad, my mom in the kitchen making dinner, my sister tottering around. My dad asked me to go in...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Contingency

Previous post. God exists. And so does secondary causes. And, next week, it is proved So does your freedom! THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT EXCLUDE CONTINGENCY FROM THINGS 1 Just as divine providence...

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Reality-Based Probability & Statistics: Ending The Tyranny Of Parameters!

Here it is! The one, the only, the peer-reviewed (and therefore true) “Reality-Based Probability & Statistics: Solving the Evidential Crisis” (the link is to the pdf, which is 11 MB; there are many...

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How Might Angels (Good or Bad) Work?

First best and truest answer to the titular question is: I do not know. That non-material, i.e. spiritual beings, are real is, in my mind, indisputable. So is whether they are active. They are. I know...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Free Will

Previous post. God exists. And, as promised, so does your freedom of will! THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT EXCLUDE FREEDOM OF CHOICE 1 From this it is also evident that providence is not incompatible...

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Buttigieg Says God Made Necrophiliacs, Pedophiles

Mayor Pete is throwing God in the face of VP Mike Pence. The impossibly named Buttigieg (pr. butty-gay?) says Pence should “raise his objections” about the non-reproductive sexual community “with God.”...

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Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Fortune &...

Previous post. God exists. So go ahead and break out the dice! As long as we understand that chance only means lack of knowledge of cause. THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT EXCLUDE FREEDOM OF CHOICE 1 It...

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Randomization Isn’t Needed — And Can Be Harmful

Had a named person in statistics (Andrew Althouse) ask me about randomization, which he likes, and which I do not. “I want to compare outcomes for a specific patient group getting surgery A vs surgery...

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