Question for believers in a God

[John Beattie]

Yeah. Unfortunately, most politicians, and many parents and school administrators, only care if children score well on tests. Critical thinking doesn't show as well in multiple choice tests, the way rote learning does.

EDIT: I'd forgotten to put in a vital conjunction.

 

[Kimpatsu]

Yeah. Unfortunately, most politicians, and many parents school administrators, only care if children score well on tests. Critical thinking doesn't show as well in multiple choice tests, the way rote learning does.

But then what you end up with is a cookie-cutter apporach to problem-solving. A well-set test that required critical thinking, akin to CSI Academy, might be the answer, because it would involve testable hypotheses that can only be solved through the use of critical thinking.
I know what you mean about politicians, though.
BTW, where are you in the world? That field in blank in your profile.

 

[John Beattie]

I'm in Southern California, in the Mojave Desert.

And yeah, my point is that while it's what we need, it's not likely to happen, at least until we can convince politicians not to take the easy way out. Maybe it's different around the world, but the way students are tested here in the US, it's a lot easier to manipulate results by feeding kids the answers, instead of showing them how to figure things out. I was lucky enough to have parents who wanted me to think for myself, so I managed to learn, even with all that education getting in the way. Changing the test would make it harder for policy-makers to manipulate the results, which can change whether they get votes/funding later on.

 

[BillyJoe]

Yeah. Unfortunately, most politicians, and many parents and school administrators, only care if children score well on tests.

EDIT: I'd forgotten to put in a vital conjunction.

why didn't you remove the unnecessary comma while you were at it?

 

[John Beattie]

Because it was nearly three in the morning, and my brain wasn't running on all cycles.

 

[Kimpatsu]

why didn't you remove the unnecessary comma while you were at it?

Where is there an unnecessary comma? All I see are three commas, one of them being an Oxford comma.

 

[LucyR]

It's highly unlikely that a denizen of MOOROOLBARK (can you believe that name?) has ever heard of an "Oxford comma".

 

[Kimpatsu]

It's highly unlikely that a denizen of MOOROOLBARK (can you believe that name?) has ever heard of an "Oxford comma".

Then why should someone from J'burg have done so, Lucy? Or are you implying that because he's Australian, he's de facto stupid?

 

[LucyR]

Then why should someone from J'burg have done so, Lucy? Or are you implying that because he's Australian, he's de facto stupid?

Now don't go putting words in my mouth.

Edit: What the hell is J'burg?

 

[Kimpatsu]

Now don't go putting words in my mouth.

Then what exactly did you mean?

Edit: What the hell is J'burg?

Aren't you in Johannesburg, South Africa? At least, that's what I took your location to mean from your location: JHB, SA.

 

[LucyR]

Then what exactly did you mean?

I take the fifth. In any case what do you think?

Aren't you in Johannesburg, South Africa? At least, that's what I took your location to mean from your location: JHB, SA.

Perhaps. But I've never seen it abbreviated to J'burg.

Ok. I looked on Google. Apparently some people say this. Looks like they’re all foreigners, though. Generally it's Joburg.

 

[Kimpatsu]

I take the fifth. In any case what do you think?

If I know what an Oxford comma is, then everyone should.

Perhaps. But I've never seen it abbreviated to J'burg.

Ok. I looked on Google. Apparently some people say this. Looks like they’re all foreigners, though. Generally it's Joburg.

I'm not a foreigner; you are.

 

[BillyJoe]

John,

Because it was nearly three in the morning, and my brain wasn't running on all cycles.

Okay, I understand.
And I am happy you agree that that comma is unnecessary.

As for those other two, they can go for a hop, skip and jump with their fancy oxford bloody comma. It is actually true that I have never heard of the oxford comma. But I am glad about this because it would imply a snotty, looking down your nose, attitude. Also, I doubt it actually exists. But no references, please. I want to remain pure.

BillyJoe

 

[Riddick]

More teaching of science, and the teaching of critical thinking, from an early age would help.

I see that you're located in Tokyo. Maybe you feel that mathmatics is a reliable philosophy?

 

[BillyJoe]

Riddick,

Just a warning: Kimpy....er.....Kimpatsu is an American living in Japan under a japanese alias.
She is also a comedienne.

BJ

 

[Iacchus]

Re: I mean't

What does it me for there to be a "God" IF "God" is undetectable?

Not much I guess.

 

[Kimpatsu]

John,

Okay, I understand.
And I am happy you agree that that comma is unnecessary.

As for those other two, they can go for a hop, skip and jump with their fancy oxford bloody comma. It is actually true that I have never heard of the oxford comma. But I am glad about this because it would imply a snotty, looking down your nose, attitude. Also, I doubt it actually exists. But no references, please. I want to remain pure.

BillyJoe

You don't think the Oxford comma exists? Then what of the following sentence?
"To my parents, Ayn Rand and god".
You can read the definition of the Oxford Comma here. If you pull your head out of your arse.

 

[Kimpatsu]

I see that you're located in Tokyo. Maybe you feel that mathmatics is a reliable philosophy?

What does where I am have anything to do with anything?

 

[Kimpatsu]

Riddick,

Just a warning: Kimpy....er.....Kimpatsu is an American living in Japan under a japanese alias.
She is also a comedienne.

BJ

Who the hell's an American, ya bloody colonial?!

---
And I'm a comedian because compared to me, you're a clown.
---
And if you think I'm a woman, you're in for one hell of a shock on our wedding night.

 

[Christian]

Suppose there were a parallel universe identical to our's in every detail and respect with the single exception that there is no God. In what way would this universe be distinguishable from our own? Or another question - what does it mean for there to be a "God" is "God" is undetectable?

I'll bite.

At some point in the timeline after the big bang, the fine tuning (exact tuning) would untune and we as humans would not exist. When in the timeline, I could not answer.

To answer the second question I would have to accept the assumption that God is undetetable. I know what the intention here is. If I say God is detectable, you will ask me how is He detectable. Then, we would proceed to a futile discussion of all the reasons why my evidence of detectable is no evidence at all.