MissBabydoll
Posts: 62
Joined: 8/9/2005 Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: sexy2sum I wonder what basis Rule uses for his assumption that these planets do not exist. It is mathematically improbible that these planets are not out there. As humans we make assumptions based upon our preconcieved notions of what is possible and impossible. These notions do not hold up on alien worlds. It is very likely that there are highly developed beings that "breath" carbon dioxide, or possibly, do not breathe at all. On our own planet, we have micro organisms that can survive in tempuratures above the boiling point. The most fascinating concept of our universe is that there are so many possiblities, our simple minds cannot even concieve most of them. The only way that these planets do not exist is if you believe in intellegent design. If that is the case, this discussion is pointless. The photgraph that Rule is requesting, and claims cannot be produced, just goes to show how some people cannot or will not think outside of their own assumptions. There is no "photograph" for evolution or the theory of relativity, but most reputible scientists do not dispute these theories. Well said. A vast amount of science has always been based on inference from indirect evidence. Most of modern fundamental physics and cosmology has been constructed on this basis--and theory after theory built on such inference has turned out to be correct once empirical testing was possible. The same has been true of evolutionary biology. (My mom is a biologist...) Neptune was originally found because the orbit of Uranus did not conform to the predictions of Newton's mechanics--it was being pulled further away from the sun at intervals that suggested there was another large planet beyond it. Better telescopes (using Newton's design!) were built, and lo and behold, there it was--the eighth planet. The whole history of modern science is full of this kind of thing. Demanding photographs is naive empiricism and suggests some sort of extrascientific agenda, probably creationist.
|