Was I clear as mud as to how to find peace?

[_A Light in the Darkness]

Do you understand english at all, dumbass? This is the SECOND time you've ascribed Marg's possition to me. I never said William of Ockham was an atheist or would have been an atheist today.

Go change the bulb in your flashlight, moron. You're still burning dim.

I haven't ascribed Marg's position to you once. I've explained to you my comments in the context of a reply to Marg. I pointed out the nature of Ockham's conflict with religious authorities. You "corrected" me by giving another example I did not list, even though it supports my main point. I pointed out why you missed the point given the context of my reply to marg. Thinking this through is obviously difficult for you, but it really shouldn't be.

[_Mr. Coffee]

I haven't ascribed Marg's position to you once.

Which is why you keep going back to the "William wasn't or wouldn't today be an atheist" crap when responding to me...

I've explained to you my comments in the context of a reply to Marg.

Then maybe you should have made yourself clear on that two posts ago, dingus? You just NOW said that you were talking to Marg, yet the past two posts you've been addressing me. Not my fault if you fail miserably at communicating clearly.

It also would help out a lot if you would use the right quote tags in your responses so it's clear who you are responding to. It's not that hard...

Just put

And end the quote with [/quote*] without the asterix. That way it's clear who the hell you are talking too.

I pointed out why you missed the point given the context of my reply to marg.

I never missed the point to begin with as I wasn't making an issue of William of Ockham being a theist, you condescending jackass.

[_Gorman]

Why do I get the feeling that religious types just don't understand the concept behind Occam's Razor?

I find that many people (both theists and atheists) don't understand Occam's Razor. It does not necessarily find truth, it merely helps us keep scientific explanations of data simple. Someone here already mentioned that it merely tells us to choose the simpler explanation for a specific phenomena. Technically speaking, Occam's Razor could be used by someone from the middle ages to argue that falling stars were really just falling stars from the speckled sphere above us. All they would have to do is state that the assumptions of an attenuating atmosphere and space itself are "too complex". This assumption is correct from their point of view.

Most scientists believe that Occam's razor is fundamentally correct and that the "final answer" to the universe will be simple (there is no guarantee), but in order to decide which of two competing theories is "simpler" we need to use our previous assumptions of how the universe works (any of which could be entirely wrong). It is circular in nature.

Therefore, when atheists or theists uses Occam's Razor to defend their positions, they are in error.

[_A Light in the Darkness]

Ockham's razor proper is a epistemological tool used to sort through metaphysical systems. It proposes that those with less entities are more desirable. Bloated ontologies are something to avoid, in other words. This is sometimes confused with parsimony as it is used in science, which is the notion that the theory that requires the least amount of unsupported positing while still explaining the data is more desireable. It is a debate within philosophy of science whether parsimony even is a meaningful criterion for sorting between competing theories and if so, how so. I think it is, but the legitimate contraversy should be pointed out.

It is a dead giveaway that someone is philosophically naïve when they try to blurt out "Ockham's razor" in order to win some sort of dispute without any detailing of why this it is relevant.

[_A Light in the Darkness]

[ Not my fault if you fail miserably at communicating clearly.

Unfortunately, the problem here is more with the listener than the speaker.

[_harmony]

[ Not my fault if you fail miserably at communicating clearly.

Unfortunately, the problem here is more with the listener than the speaker.

Or with those who cannot ever ever ever be wrong. The inability to take personal responsibility for one's own thoughts and/or actions is pathetic indeed.

[_A Light in the Darkness]

Mormon: I like ice cream

Anti-Mormon: So you are saying you hate Jews?

Mormon: No, I'm saying I like ice cream

Anti-Mormon: Then you aren't communicating clearly.

Mormon: I think the fault lies more with how you are reading me.

Harmony:

Or with those who cannot ever ever ever be wrong. The inability to take personal responsibility for one's own thoughts and/or actions is pathetic indeed.

[_Mr. Coffee]

Mormon: I like ice cream

Anti-Mormon: So you are saying you hate Jews?

Mormon: No, I'm saying I like ice cream

Anti-Mormon: Then you aren't communicating clearly.

Mormon: I think the fault lies more with how you are reading me.

In your case it's more along the lines of...

Some Random Person: People that like Ice Cream are Jews.

Irrational Dingus: Not true, I'm not a Jew and I like icecream.

Me: Being Jewish has nothing to do with liking or not liking icecream. Here's evidence to support this.

Irrational Dingus: Not everyone who likes ice cream is a jew!

Me: No sh*t? I could have sworn I not only just said that but provided evidence to support it.

Irrational Dingus: Why do you hate Jews? Is it because you don't like icecream?

Me: Yo, Moron, I never said everyone who like icecream is a Jew.

Irrational Dingus: Oh, uh... Well, that other guy said it through!

Me: Did your mother drink heavilly when she was pregnant with you?

Or with those who cannot ever ever ever be wrong. The inability to take personal responsibility for one's own thoughts and/or actions is pathetic indeed.

So when are you going to admit that you screwed up by continuing to go on about "William of Ockham wasn't an atheist" when you were adressing me, dingus?

Let me guess... "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, it's all your fault because you obviously have something against Mormons!"

[_barrelomonkeys]

Sorry I mentioned it.

I like frozen yogurt.

[_Mr. Coffee]

Sorry I mentioned it.

Why? You managed to get an argument stated and gave me a chance to verbally sucker punch a FundiMo.

All in all, not bad...

I like frozen yogurt.

"Yogurt. Yogurt. I hate Yogurt! Even with strawberries."

+5 respect if anyone can place the reference.