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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.