Today I’m going to blog about something that I actually have some expertise in, for once. This has been a blog a long time in coming, an idea that came from an especially bad argument someone defending the existence of the supernatural: Science can’t measure everything therefore it is unreasonable to dismiss the existence of the supernatural. This is backwards logic. Since by definition one can have no knowledge of the supernatural, discussing the topic as if any knowledge about it can be had is irrelevant. One example this person gave me refuting the ability of science to measure everything was in the form of a question: ‘How can I know that I love my wife?’
There are several things wrong about this example, which underscore the problem with the argument itself. Indeed, Science can’t measure everything – at the moment. The implication of the above statement is that if something like emotion can’t be quantified by any current method available, then it will never be measureable. A bold statement indeed, especially in light of the second premise behind the above challenge which is itself incorrect. Not only can I indeed demonstrate that I love my wife, I have access to the equipment to do so.
From the Desk of Shamelessly Atheist... 