Replies

"...How do you know that any particular being under discussion is mythical? You don't. You just presuppose it. That's my point..."

No, I don't 'presuppose it', and you seem to miss the point of the logical error. Let me re-state things more plainly:

By their own definition, many supernatural beings are MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE with respect to one another. This means that the existance of Supernatural Being A PRECLUDES the existance of Supernatural Being B. I will provide an example:

Jehovah of the Bible is defined as the 'one true God', all others being false. Belief in Jehovah requires the denial of all other false Gods.

Odin is the ruling God of a rather large set of lesser Gods in Norse culture. He does not even have a very good handle on the other God's behavior.

Now, I do not have to believe in Odin, or Jehovah to recognize this undeniable fact: They CANNOT both be true. I do not have to 'presuppose' anything. If Odin and his posse exist, then Jehovah cannot be the 'one true God' as defined. If Jehovah is the 'one true God', then there cannot be a host of other Gods running around. This is a consequence of their definition.

Any argument that supports ODIN equally as well as JEHOVAH is a WORTHLESS ARGUMENT logically. It does not depend upon anyone's belief system, and does not require me to 'presuppose' anything.

Me:"...something is "functioning as it is supposed to" when it operates in harmony with reality..."

You:"...Whose 'reality' would that be? The brain chemistry of the person on the street ranting and raving that 'the Invisible Space Aliens' were about to get him is just as much a product of evolutionary natural selection as any other brain chemistry and is just as real. On what grounds do you say that neurochemical products of evolutionary chance/necessity needs 'corrective treatment'? How can there be something objectively 'wrong' with what evolution has wrought?"

Despite what advertisers and promotional agents might want to tell you, PERCEPTION IS NOT REALITY. A person operating under the delusion that they can fly is still bound by the laws of physics, and gravity in particular. The fact that any sensory apparatus (either biological or artificial) can be fooled or damaged, or operated improperly is no argument what so ever that the underlying reality is changed when your perception of it is.

Dose a person with LSD, and then listen to them ramble that the chair they are sitting in has caught fire. Has it really? No, of course not. Their brain is MALFUNCTIONING due to the influence of chemicals. He or she may scream and yell, but they are NOT on fire, their flesh is NOT searing, and they are in NO IMMEDIATE DANGER from burning. They might be in danger from doing something "stupid", and not "in harmony with reality" while in this sensory fugue, however.