Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!eagle!allegra!alice!rabbit!ark From: ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) Newsgroups: net.misc,net.philosophy Subject: Re: Compact Divine Intervention? Message-ID: <2491@rabbit.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-Feb-84 10:12:20 EST Article-I.D.: rabbit.2491 Posted: Wed Feb 8 10:12:20 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 02:07:24 EST References: <6703@unc.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 21 In order to qualify as a possible scientific theory, an assertion must be falsifiable. In other words, it must be possible to imagine (and eventually construct) an experiment that will disprove the assertion. For example, some people believe that the Earth was created all at once in the relatively recent past (much more recent than what is commonly known as "geological" time intervals), including evidence of a past that never happened. People who believe this are welcome to do so, but it does not qualify for consideration as a scientific theory, because it is not falsifiable. To make the argument sharper, let me suggest that the world was actually created ten minutes ago, together with evidence of a non-existent past. This evidence includes all YOUR memories, for example. While you THINK you woke up this morning, you didn't even exist then. So there! There is no argument or observation that could ever disprove this assertion. For that reason, one is justified in rejecting it out of hand from scientific discourse.