Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth-like planet found

Thanks to Happy Humanist for posting this article to the SMRT forums;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090421/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_new_planet


How awesome would it be to discover that there was life on another planet? It doesn't have to be intelligent, or even complex - just life, in all it's beauty, existing out there in the cosmos; it's enough to give me goosebumps!


Next week: Scientists discover smudge on telescope lens....


Regards,

11 comments:

Daniel (Da Pilgrim) said...

Hey Matt,

I thought I would have a snoop around some of your blogs :) I hope you don't mind. LOL

Just a thought...did you actually mean cosmos or more accurately chaos-ed cosmos.
IS there such a thing as an accidental cosmos?

Food for thought ay.

ExPatMatt said...

Da Bomb,

I meant 'cosmos', that's why I wrote 'cosmos'. I have no idea if it was deliberately set in motion, overseen and managed and geared towards fulfilling the will of some supernatural super-being or if it is the result of natural processes.

I don't know. I just know that it is really, really freakin' cool.


What will you think if we find life on other planets?

Daniel (Da Pilgrim) said...

I don't know,

The Bible doesn't say either way yet is focused on humanity. Although it can be read into I guess.
As far as I know it wouldn't hinder my belief in God.

You are right, we have an awesome universe ay!

"I have no idea if it was deliberately set in motion, overseen and managed and geared towards fulfilling the will of some supernatural super-being or if it is the result of natural processes".

I gather that means you are an agnostic not an atheist?

I'm just wondering where you are coming from with our ongoing discussions.

ExPatMatt said...

Da Bomb,

"I gather that means you are an agnostic not an atheist?"A friendly suggestion: learn what words mean before you start applying them to people.

gnostic/agnostic deals with knowledge:

agnostic: "I don't know for certain that..."

gnostic: "I know for certain that..."

theist/atheistic deals with belief:

atheist: "I don't believe in..."

theist: "I do believe in..."


So, for someone like me who is honest about what they do and do not know. I say that I am currently unconvinced that there are any god(s) in existence and therefore I don't believe in them...

That makes me an agnostic atheist (like the majority of all atheists are) because to be a 'gnostic' atheist would imply that there is no knowledge anywhere in the universe that could convince me of the existence of a deity, and I don't know that there isn't.



Does that make sense?


Cheers,

ExPatMatt said...

And yes, our universe is way cool.

Daniel (Da Pilgrim) said...

Sweet,

I see your point,
thanks.

So an atheist doesn't claim to know there is no God...He just thinks there is no God.

But if an atheist were to be consistant with his sceptical views, would it be sceptical to make an objective belief about a non-belief?
When there is no evidence for or against it?

Since you don't know if there is a God, why not leave it at that. You claim to believe an unsurety.

It is like saying "I don't know if aliens exist because I have not seen any evidence, therefore they don't exist".

Untill you find evidence against God you should not make an objective claim that He does not exist.

Do you admit there is a possibility of a God?

ExPatMatt said...

Da Bomb,

These two sentences;


"Until you find evidence against God you should not make an objective claim that He does not exist.

Do you admit there is a possibility of a God?"
Make me think that you didn't quite get what I was saying.



I'm not making an objective claim. I'm saying that the objective claims of others are unconvincing to me at the present time.

And I would have thought that me saying;

"...to be a 'gnostic' atheist would imply that there is no knowledge anywhere in the universe that could convince me of the existence of a deity, and I don't know that there isn't."Should indicate that I am open to the possibility of there being a god/gods/supreme beings, I'm just not aware of any knowledge/evidence of such a being.


I know this seems like a pedantic difference, but it's quite important;

I don't: "believe there is no god"

I do: "not have a belief that there is a god"

Making more sense?


Are you open to the possibility (no matter how small a possibility) that there is no God?

Daniel (Da Pilgrim) said...

Thanks for your reply,

"Are you open to the possibility (no matter how small a possibility) that there is no God?"

I have to admit no,

But I suppose if every point and reason I believe was refuted somehow of course I might consider it. Just about everything in my life (creation, personal witness, the Bible) tells me there is a God.

"I don't: "believe there is no god"

I do: "not have a belief that there is a god""

Your second statement...sounds like an agnostic...he doesn't know. Or are you saying that all agnostics are atheists aswell?

ExPatMatt said...

Da Bomb,

"I have to admit no,"Ok, that would make you a 'gnostic theist' then. You believe in God and you are satisfied (pretty much) that there is no argument or knowledge that could convince you otherwise.

Fair enough.


"Your second statement...sounds like an agnostic...he doesn't know. Or are you saying that all agnostics are atheists aswell?"I'm not saying anything about other people, I'm describing myself; I only ever speak for myself.

And I've said, several times, before; I'm an agnostic atheist - I am aware that I don't have all the information/knowledge/wisdom in the universe and that my opinions can change subject to new information, but at the present I do not have a belief in any god/gods so I am without a belief in god - without theism - a theism - atheism.

Chris Geiser said...

Hey guy, what's up? Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope you are well dude.

ExPatMatt said...

Chris,

You said the same thing 2 posts back but you didn't respond to my reply which was, in essence;

"You banned me from your blog - that's why we haven't spoken!"

Am I de-banned?