Re: Boy Genius or Craft Idiot?

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Jun 02 2003 - 13:49:58 MDT

  • Next message: Mike Lorrey: "Re: Rationality of Disagreement (Was: Status of Superrationality)"

    --- Olga Bourlin <fauxever@sprynet.com> wrote:
    > From: "Mike Lorrey" <mlorrey@yahoo.com>
    > >
    > > What I find so amusing is that we have Olga here, trashing a 13
    > > year old kid for being allegedly as naive as, well, a 13 year
    > > old, for thinking there is a God while being allegedly so high an
    > > IQ as to be untestable.
    >
    > Mike, did I not write (to Rafal)?:
    >
    > ***"... we can cut him some slack. The kid is only 13 and is
    > dependent on his grownups (or, sounds like, they may be dependent
    > on him?)."
    >
    > ***I also agreed (I don't remember with whom) that the kid is
    > definitely worth watching.
    >
    > ***I also agreed with Newstrom: [Olga Bourlin wrote]
    > Certainly, I can understand why a 13-year-old would think that (most
    > teenagers are prone to narcissism, anyway - it's probably even an
    > important developmental step).
    >
    > ***Mike, why are you ignoring the whole of what I've written? Please
    > respond to this point.

    No, I'm not. What I am doing is drawing a contrast between what seems
    to be a need for you to attack religiosity when overtly expressed as
    such (even to the point of dissing a 13 year old kid, which I think was
    excessive, and which you seem to be backing off a bit, good for you!),
    yet you have been silent on the writing of Nick Bostrom, whose
    simulation arguments MANDATE that there be a system operator, i.e. a
    'God' to have created this universe if it is indeed a simulation. I'll
    note that you failed to respond to this point in my post. Please do
    respond now.

    >
    > As I've not had any trouble shedding religiosity at a very early
    > age (and I'm no genius), I was wondering what
    > people thought. I've learned some things here (I usually do), and
    > appreciate the input from all the posters.

    I'll note that you failed to respond to my earlier post making just
    that contrast, that Mr Smith IS a supergenius and you are not, so IMHO
    it's a bit arrogant for you to think that it was to be assumed that you
    automatically knew more than him, in calling him arrogant for thinking
    that there is a God.

    As for myself, I'm enough of a genius to say I don't know the answer. I
    am genius enough to say that the arguments made by Nick Bostrom are
    persuasive that we likely do live in a simulation. If that is so, then
    the argument that there is a creator 'God' is implicit. Furthermore,
    the range of knowledge between what we know and what such a theoretical
    God must know to have achieved this simulation is so significant that
    we really are in no position to judge any limits on what is and is not
    possible for such a God to do within this simulation.

    Thus, if the simulation argument holds, then atheism is dead, and
    religiosity is an acceptable standard for scientific individuals to practice.

    =====
    Mike Lorrey
    "Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                                        - Gen. John Stark
    Blog: Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com
    Flight sims: http://www.x-plane.org/users/greendragon/
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    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exi-freedom

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