TED Conversations

GOWTHAM REDDY

self employed director,

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” – Christopher Hitchens. Do you agree?

As human beings, when we first hear this quote we instantly agree to it and make a correlation with science. But when we actually listen to this quote and ponder about it, we figure we cannot entirely agree with this quote or disagree with it completely. This quote brings about various knowledge issues and in some cases you agree and some cases you cannot. The knowledge issues that come up are – science, history, human science, religion, belief, and faith.

Topics: Human sciences assertion evidence history religion science
+5
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • Comment deleted

    • thumb

      Christopher Halliwell

      • 0
      Dec 26 2012: Your comment demonstrates a lack of understanding. How can someone dismiss something before it is asserted? There is no such thing as "faith in scientific theories", since all scientific theories are verifiable. Faith is the excuse people give when they don't have evidence for their beliefs, so science has no use for it.

      • Gord G 30+

        • 0
        Dec 26 2012: The reader can infer from the sentence that a statement has been presented and is being dismissed.

        A theory can be an apodictic proposition or an assertoric proposition. The vast possibilities of the universe would suggest the latter is prevalent , and represents significant questions regarding our existence.
        • thumb

          Christopher Halliwell

          • 0
          Dec 26 2012: Since the comment I replied to has been deleted, you can't correctly infer anything. A scientific theory is not merely a proposition, it is a verifiable explanation.

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.