Adrian Chapman (October 2010). The Meaning of Life: A Dangerous Mix of God and Science

18
It is a point of logic that we can never prove a negative. What we mean by this is we can never prove a negative result , rather than a negative statement.
Eg: Negative statement: 1+1≠3
Positive result: 2
Positive statement: 1+1=2
We have shown the positive result of something else so that we can then use reason to deduce that the negative statement must be correct.

23
A theory is a proposed explanation, developed by reasoning, to describe how something works. Within science there are observable facts, but these observations alone can’t help us understand what is causing these things to happen. A theory is someone’s assertion about the underlying reality that causes these observations to occur. So a theory is not a proven fact. But just because a theory isn’t a fact, doesn’t mean we can’t consider it to be most likely true. “Not entirely right but so incredible true”.

27
Our modern culture has been indoctrinated into believing Darwinism means atheism. The problem with this belief is atheists have a habit of pressurizing people who reason with science into felling that they should also believe in atheism. They claim it is more scientific, but surely the more scientific position is agnosticism, with the great example being Darwin himself. An agnostic keeps an open mind about God’s existence until proof can be shown either way.

50
Problem with so much atheistic writing:
1) Here is an example of someone who is being silly.
2) This person believes in God.
3) All people who believe in God are the same.
4) Therefore all people who believe in God must be silly.

73
The more logical position is to consider pain as being created by the nervous system, which our brains are a part of, then the physical stimulus of pain is made into suffering by the conscious awareness of this experience. So we should define a difference between pain and suffering. The pain is a part of the physical nervous system, and the suffering is created by conscious awareness of the pain.

86
Looking for answers to why things are as they are starts with the belief that there is actually an answer. This is the default position of all science. Science starts with the belief that there is an explanation for everything, and then sets out to find that explanation. Paradoxically atheism starts from the total opposite assumption. Atheism starts with the belief that our existence has no explanation. Unless there is some evidence that makes someone believe this, then it seems to be a ridiculous starting point. This is the problem, atheism is good at criticizing others, but it’s completely void of any explanation of it’s own.

87
Often people choose to believe in ideas because they want to believe in them, rather than they actually do believe in them.

104
As sexual selection is driven by tiny preferences, the butterfly effect can explain the huge variations generated in the birds appearance, dance and song. Natural selection alone is unable to explain it, and would lead people to assume life only achieves the bare minimum to survive. But because the principles of chaos interweaves throughout our existence, nature is far more beautiful, wondrous and even frivolous than it needs to be. The reason can look so beautiful is because it’s being sexed up.

124
Genes are selected at random; organisms are selected by natural selection. (oppose to selfish genes)

163
Atheists don’t believe in God, but they like to dictate what God should be like if the did exist.

183
One argument that commonly used for the existence of God is the creation of the universe, or the creation of life itself. People claim that the existence of both the universe and life are only possible with the existence of God. But from our understanding of probability, we know that life started because it is possible. This doesn’t prove or disprove the existence of God, or indeed it ultimately prove God is not needed. The mathematics doesn’t show the exact chain of events but merely that it will happen. Though it is this same logic that proves an ultimate being must exist. The most powerful, intelligent and knowledgeable being that could ever be possible, has to exist. Just because it’s possible.

274
Science without experiment is identical to philosophy. However science without the initial philosophical reasoning, is merely a random experiment. It is like someone trying to find the answer to a mathematical problem, not by reason, but by trying lots of different numbers. Even if they hit the particular numbers that happen to fit their specific problem, if they can’t explain the reasoning of how it works, how can they use that information to work out anything else?

Source: Adrian Chapman (October 2010). The Meaning of Life: A Dangerous Mix of God and Science