Atheists & Agnostics

edhopper

(35,013 posts) Tue May 5, 2015, 08:07 AM May 2015

Can we "know" God doesn't exist. [View all]

One could argue we can't know anything. The age of the Universe, the speed of light, the certainty of evolution.
To me this is semantics, how we define scientific knowledge. What we mean by "know".

But at the level of scientific fact, however you describe that, wouldn't the existence of God fall under the same criteria as other things we "know" do not exists. The Ether that permeates the Universe, N-Rays, the Canals of Mars, the Steady-State Universe, the missing link, etc...
all ideas of a by-gone era that have been discarded because of lack of any evidence and evidence contrary to the concepts.

Thoughts?

51 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Can we "know" God doesn't exist. [View all] edhopper May 2015 OP

Nepal.... mountain grammy May 2015 #1

God is a theory ... GeorgeGist May 2015 #2

Not really, any more than religionistas can know that it does. mr blur May 2015 #3

Why is God different from edhopper May 2015 #4

I'm not saying God is an alien but, progressoid May 2015 #23

As Epicurus would say edhopper May 2015 #26

There's a particular defender of the faith here on DU... trotsky May 2015 #7

You will notice edhopper May 2015 #12

So-called "strong atheism" skepticscott May 2015 #5

I guess that would depend edhopper May 2015 #8

We can definitely know that certain gods don't exist. trotsky May 2015 #6

No RussBLib May 2015 #9

Also, the cranks who make this nonsense up are always smart - mr blur May 2015 #10

I was about to get into that. Warren Stupidity May 2015 #20

That is very well said edhopper May 2015 #29

he is "outside the physical Universe. AlbertCat May 2015 #40

Rec post. beam me up scottie May 2015 #30

Logically self-contradictory ones only whatthehey May 2015 #11

Thanks edhopper May 2015 #13

True enough. But we have to consider Flatland whatthehey May 2015 #14

I''ve read Gamow edhopper May 2015 #15

I don't know fir sure that there is no god, but Binkie The Clown May 2015 #19

The bugger is, not entirely no whatthehey May 2015 #25

Another great post! beam me up scottie May 2015 #31

invisible Snake God spirit AlbertCat May 2015 #41

I know that God doesn't exist. Curmudgeoness May 2015 #16

That's true edhopper May 2015 #17

Steady State Universe? Binkie The Clown May 2015 #18

Not really edhopper May 2015 #27

We assume that velocity is the only thing that causes red shift AlbertCat May 2015 #42

You're very probably right. Binkie The Clown May 2015 #43

Let's leave the large cosmological questions for now. edhopper May 2015 #44

I agree on a practical level, Binkie The Clown May 2015 #46

True edhopper May 2015 #47

I can know that XYZ claims of specific gods are bullshit. AtheistCrusader May 2015 #21

Wow! salimbag May 2015 #22

your welcome. edhopper May 2015 #28

Of course not. LiberalAndProud May 2015 #24

Nothing to add, everyone else has already noted why it's impossible to argue the point. beam me up scottie May 2015 #32

impossible to argue with believers edhopper May 2015 #34

Agreed! beam me up scottie May 2015 #35

Thus i posted this here edhopper May 2015 #37

I have seen no evidence that god exists. Manifestor_of_Light May 2015 #33

Same here. And all believers seem to have two gods... onager May 2015 #36

It's like the psychics who have edhopper May 2015 #38

Isn't there a third one? You know, the one that shows up on toast... truebrit71 May 2015 #39

LOL! That reminds me of "I, Claudius." onager May 2015 #45

No. Act_of_Reparation May 2015 #48

That is probably a better term for it. edhopper May 2015 #49

Absolutely. Act_of_Reparation May 2015 #50

So it would come down to how edhopper May 2015 #51