Mar 14 2013

Goo to you via the zoo

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Rosa Rubicondor does an excellent job ripping apart The Argument From Incredulity. You’ve heard it a thousand times, the bug-eyed creationist announcing that he just can’t believe the universe popped into existence from nothing, that malaria resistance evolved without a helping hand from a really smart superguy, that complexity can increase in the absence of intelligent design.

Also, it’s illustrated with a perfect Scenes from a Multiverse cartoon.

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20 comments

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1

Steven Rowlinson

14 March 2013 at 7:38 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Yeah, its sad to say, but I’ve locked horns with this vacuous argument on many occasions.

On a positive note; looks like I might have claimed first comment! A first for me; my cherry is now well and truly popped.
2

Lofty

14 March 2013 at 7:59 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

On a positive note; looks like I might have claimed first comment! A first for me; my cherry is now well and truly popped.

Ooh, PZ soooo hates people saying that!
3

peterh

14 March 2013 at 8:01 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The Argument from Incredulity is simply the Argument from Ignorance Trying to Cop a Plea.
4

Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls

14 March 2013 at 8:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

You’ve heard it a thousand times, the bug-eyed creationist announcing that he just can’t believe the universe popped into existence from nothing, that malaria resistance evolved without a helping hand from a really smart superguy, that complexity can increase in the absence of intelligent design.

And funny how those very same folks, when challenged to produce real evidence for their imaginary creator, physical evidence that would pass muster with scientists, magicians, and professional debunkers as being of divine (and not scientifically explained), and not natural, origin.
something independent of their “doubts”, come up empty every time…
5

Steven Rowlinson

14 March 2013 at 8:35 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@ Lofty;

Ah, shit. And I was so excited. Nevermind; I shall go away I guess.
6

Jafafa Hots

14 March 2013 at 11:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I was just interacting with someone on Twitter who demanded to know who atheists thank when they are almost (but not quite) in a car accident.
I went through the usual… the “if you live it’s proof of God, if you die it’s God ‘calling you home’ etc.”
Does God hate the people who die…
She “accused” us sarcastically of believing in random chance.
When I asked if she was arguing that without God every car trip would end in accident, she replied “Well I know that with God, every car trip doesn’t end in an accident.”

(she’s continued on since with Pascal’s wager, “I prayed and a sick person was healed” etc. Latest thing is “I am confident in blind faith.” Her proof is she feels it, etc.)

Demanding to know who we thank.

I finally admitted I thank Glenn Close. Every time I narrowly escape death, I say “Whew! That was Close!”
7

IslandBrewer

14 March 2013 at 11:40 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I think Glenn Close is awesome. Perfectly acceptable to assign the happenings of random chance to her.
8

glodson

14 March 2013 at 11:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Man, I just can’t imagine this at all.
9

Dabu

15 March 2013 at 12:45 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I can’t understand theories of how life and the universe originated & developed, but that’s no reason to posit God as an explanation, said no creationist ever.
10

thumper1990

15 March 2013 at 5:20 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I am continually amazed that there are people out there who think “I just can’t believe that” is an argument in any way.

@Jafafa Hots

PffffBWAhahaha dammit Jafafa! Now there’s water and bodily fluids all over my keyboard!
11

Zinc Avenger (Sarcasm Tags 3.0 Compliant)

15 March 2013 at 6:43 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

To repurpose a comment I made elsewhere, “I’m so ignorant I have no choice but to believe in magic” is not a convincing argument.
12

birgerjohansson

15 March 2013 at 7:44 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I am no good at quantum physics, but I know it works well enough for those finding the basic science to make better cellphones, GPS devices and so on.
I am no good at special or general relativity, but it seems to work enough for nukes. Or is that Quantum?
13

alkisvonidas

15 March 2013 at 8:34 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@ birgerjohansson

You’ve just made this particle physicist cry.

Anyway, it’s the other way round: General relativity for GPS, quantum physics for nukes.
14

sisu

15 March 2013 at 8:45 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I finally admitted I thank Glenn Close. Every time I narrowly escape death, I say “Whew! That was Close!”

Ha hahahaha!!! That’s hilarious!
15

robro

15 March 2013 at 11:07 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@birgerjohansson #12 — Those are pretty good, but I think something like “I don’t know anything about biology, anatomy, molecular biology or chemistry, but I’m sure glad some people do because they might save might our lives some day. You can give thanks to whomever you choose, but I’ll thank them for all their hard work.”

@alkisvonidas #13 — Don’t the chips in the GPS units rely on quantum physics?
16

Ariaflame, BSc, BF, PhD

15 March 2013 at 11:43 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@robro #15 To a certain degree the chips rely on quantum physics, but also very important is the relativity equations that let us compensate for the fact that satellites such as the GPS ones orbiting the earth are accelerating (though not speeding up – because velocity is a vector, but speed is a scalar) and hence time is not flowing for them at quite the rate it is for us.
17

greenspine

15 March 2013 at 4:06 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The Argument from Incredulity: “I can’t imagine how this possibly could have happened. So here’s exactly how it happened…”
18

phiwilli

16 March 2013 at 12:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Some reasoning I’ve found to be pretty good: Out of nothing, nothing can come to be. So if ever there was nothing, there would be nothing now. But there is something now. Thus there never was nothing at all.

In other words, the universe never began – it always was. It’s undergone a lot of changes, of course, the big bang being one of the most notable.
19

captainblack

17 March 2013 at 3:16 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

… the bug-eyed creationist announcing that he just can’t believe the universe popped into existence from nothing

To which my response is always: “then try harder”
20

Ichthyic

17 March 2013 at 3:21 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

“I don’t know anything about biology, anatomy, molecular biology or chemistry, but I’m sure glad some people do because they might save might our lives some day. You can give thanks to whomever you choose, but I’ll thank them for all their hard work.”

But I do know… that I love you.