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To: sourcery

How do you define "evidence"?


76 posted on 03/30/2007 9:57:06 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: B-Chan
How do you define "evidence"?

Now that's a very intelligent question! It goes to the heart of epistemology.

Briefly, information can be transmitted either as symbols or as tokens. A symbol is any piece of transmitted information that is part of a statement that might be false. A token is any piece of information that must be true, but which might be misinterpreted. So all symbols are also tokens, but not all tokens are also symbols.

Examples: The word 'sentence' in the statment "This statement is false" is both a symbol and a token. The photons of light travelling from the computer screen you are reading onto the retinas of your eyes are tokens, but are not symbols.

Statements that are true by definition can only be made using symbols. Tokenized, non-symbolic information is always true, but never occurs in the form of a statement. Evidence is always transmitted using non-symbolic tokens, although it can be referenced using symbols.

The issue with statements that transmit information using symbols is whether or not the sender is lying--either intentionally or otherwise. The issue with empirical evidence transmitted as non-symbolic tokens is whether it is being interpreted correctly. Science is a methodolgy for making correct interpretations of tokenized information, and for improving its interpretive frameworks over time.

Finally, the interpretion of evidence transmitted as (non-symbolic) tokens requires the operation of an intelligent agent, who will necessarily use symbolic reasoning in order to intepret the evidence (which is why the intepretation can be wrong; were the interpretive process based solely on (non-symbolic) tokens, it could never be wrong.)

Bringing this back to the topic at hand, I consider all of reality to be the evidence that is relevant to the question of whether or not there is a deity.

The fundamental atom of reality is the distinction. In order for Nothing to exist, there must be a distinction between Something and Nothing. Once there is any distinction, then there is Something (the distinction.)

81 posted on 03/30/2007 10:59:15 PM PDT by sourcery (Government Warning: The Attorney General has determined that Federal Regulation is a health hazard)
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