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To: Right Wing Professor
RWP, sneer away if you wish. One of these days -- and probably before too long -- we're really going to find out whether there's anything to this or not. Based on the available evidence right now, it appears the answer will be in the affirmative.

As they say, "time is the mother of truth." Neither your "opinion" nor mine matters in the least. Stay tuned.

188 posted on 12/15/2003 10:59:26 AM PST by betty boop (God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world. -- Paul Dirac)
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To: betty boop
RWP, sneer away if you wish.

Thanks. I intend to do so.

One of these days -- and probably before too long -- we're really going to find out whether there's anything to this or not. Based on the available evidence right now, it appears the answer will be in the affirmative.

Dream on. Look, betty, you've basically unloaded the entire arsenal of junk science here; biophotonics, homeopathy, naturopathic remedies. There's a very good reason that the scientific and medical establishments sneer at this sort of thing; when it's subjected to careful scrutiny, it turns out to be junk.

Homeopathy violates the three-hundred year old principle that chemical compounds are composed of discrete numbers of molecules. But more importantly, it can never be reproduced in trials conducted with due diligence towards bias and fraud. Read this and this.

What shocks me is that I'm reading this stuff on a conservative website. I've hitherto associated it only with new-agers.

189 posted on 12/15/2003 11:15:31 AM PST by Right Wing Professor
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To: betty boop
BB, you may have seen this website: NATURALISM IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SCIENCE AND CRITICAL INQUIRY. It's chuck-full of good discussion about naturalism, science, etc. But you may find yourself on the other side of the author's worldview. Nevertheless, I gather that it's one of your favorite topics, so it may be of interest. A sample:
Supernaturalists identify--misidentify, I believe--the immaterial world of the human mind, which obviously exists and is part of nature, with the transcendental world of their supernatural beliefs. This practice is so pervasive that I must briefly discuss it here. Let us name and classify the three philosophical worlds and their elements: First, the material or physical world of nature that includes matter and energy; second, the immaterial world of nature that includes mind, ideas, values, imagination, logical relationships, etc.; and third, the transcendental world of supernature that includes gods, spirits, souls, etc. Belief in the first two worlds with denial of the independence of the second constitutes materialism, belief in worlds one and two without necessary denial of the independence of the second constitutes naturalism, while belief in all three worlds constitutes supernaturalism. While the identification of brain with conscious mind is relatively easy, supernaturalists invoke this third world and identify--misidentify, in my analysis--conscious mind with soul. Similarly, naturalists identify brain with imagination and emotion, but supernaturalists misidentify imagination and emotion as transcendence. Similarly, brain is self is misidentified as spirit; brain is dreams (or psychosis) is misidentified as revelation; brain is imagined all-loving, all-powerful authority figure is misidentified as a deity; unexplained natural phenomena are mysteries misidentified as miracles; wrongful acts are immoral acts are misidentified as sins, and so forth. In short, supernaturalists are exploiting the uncertainty and ignorance of science regarding the second world of immaterial elements to create and justify their belief in a third world of supernature. Supernaturalists would object to this analysis, I am sure, but it explains to me why they continue to harbor their beliefs despite centuries of being unable to demonstrate even the slightest bit of empirical evidence or formulating a single unrefuted valid reason. They think they have evidence and valid reasons, to be sure, but I think they are misinterpreting elements of a perfectly natural but non-material second world to sustain their mistaken belief in a supernatural third world.

194 posted on 12/15/2003 11:39:58 AM PST by PatrickHenry (Hic amor, haec patria est.)
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