From: the_thompsons@earthlink.net   
      
   Ernest Major wrote:   
   > On 02/01/2026 12:06, MarkE wrote:   
   >> This is foundational in this debate. To reiterate a thought experiment:   
   >>   
   >> If, say, 1000 years from now, after consistent and concerted   
   >> scientific research over that time, there is a large majority   
   >> scientific consensus that all postulated naturalistic explanations for   
   >> each of the following had been excluded or shown be excessively   
   >> improbable:   
   >>   
   >> 2. origin of the universe   
   >> 3. fine tuning   
   >> 4. origin of life   
   >> 5. macroevolution   
   >>   
   >> It seems to me the options are:   
   >>   
   >> a. Keep looking for naturalistic explanations   
   >> b. Give up looking for naturalistic explanations   
   >> c. Consider supernatural explanations   
   >> d. Some combination of the above   
   >>   
   >> Within the terms of this hypothetical, how would you respond?   
   >   
   > As I wrote earlier, nobody is stopping you proposing supernatural   
   > explanations.   
   >   
   > If, say, 1000 years from now, no-one has proposed a substantive   
   > supernatural explanation (implicit in your thought experiment), would   
   > you consider stopping looking for a gap to stuff your god into, and   
   > consider that perhaps you ought to consider the possibility that there's   
   > a natural explanation.   
   >   
      
   If I might...   
      
   ISTM that in the last 1000 years, humans have proposed scores or   
   hundreds (or more) supernatural explanations for the origin of the   
   universe (or just this world) and certainly the origin of life. Some   
   religions have even put forth explanations for the planet's biodiversity.   
      
   But none of these hypotheses- not one, ever- has ever succeeded in   
   satisfactorily accounting for what we actually know of biology or   
   cosmology to the exclusion of all other hypotheses.   
      
   It seems like humans have been considering supernatural explanations for   
   lots of stuff for considerably more than 1000 years, and none of it has   
   been worth a tinker's damn.   
      
   Chris   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)