Monday, May 28, 2007

The other side

Recently while giving a talk at some small college or other in Virginia (or was it North Carolina? anyway...) Prof. Richard Dawkins was asked by a student "What if you're wrong?"

It's actually an interesting question, but one that shouldn't just be directed at scientists. Why not consider what we believe from the perspective of the other side? Why not examine the other possiblities?

So I put it to you: tell us what you believe, and then tell us what happens if you're wrong.

7 comments:

BEAST said...

I am not sure what I believe now you ask.....I float through life in a vague fog , not overly taxing meself with belief , others do seem to have strong beliefs in well just about everything , the fact that I cant be bothered to argue with them doesnt imply they are right , but that they have not been proved wrong to date.
Intellectual laziness is a sublime state :-)

Anonymous said...

I believe that there are some things that are harder to reverse then they are to do "This would be implied if P is not NP". I have no proof of that but there are lots of things that seem that way.

If I'm wrong the banking institutions of the world could any day totally collapse as criminals exploit the breaking of strong encryption. Everyday proofs of identity like signitures and ID cards will become easily fakeable and the global economy will take a nose dive.

There's a $1,000,000 prize for anyone who can resolve the question P is NP?.

Anonymous said...

Get to it everyone!

Moominmama said...

Beast: here's to the golden haze of obliviousness! *raised glass*

B: i dearly wish i knew what you were talking about. i'm sure it's very intersting.

Romeo Morningwood said...

I had a lovely converstion with a Jehovah's Witness on my doorstep today. I told him that I had examined the Big Picture from both sides and eventually ended up being agnostic because I have no faith in the actual BOOK.
Too many translations, authors and editors and every single idea that I have to debate against is all derived from that BOOK! (or one of them)

There is the rub. As a theist I have little doubt that a superior intelligenty being started the ball rolling...nothing from nothing means nothing to me. What are ya gonna do?

So I believe that we have invented every aspect and notion of who this Prime Mover is based on who we are. We have NO idea. So if I am wrong I would simply say that there was poor evidence provided and that we didn't need to have such large, curious, minds if the answer was so bloody simple.

Valerie said...

I believe in atoms, in behavioural psychology, in physics and in chemistry.

But I also believe in being kind to others, because it will lead to the best life for me and for others.

I don't believe in a god.

If I'm wrong, I hope that a reasonably kind life will stand me in good stead. If there is a god and the god demands FAITH, well, then, I'm screwed. But I can't change my brain.

Reason's Whore said...

What Valerie said.

But in my opinion, the chance that there is actually a Christian god who demands blind faith as outlined in the NT is zero.

The chance that there is some other kind of god approaches zero.

Also, you should join the Atheist Blogroll.