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The universe doesn't have to have "popped out of nowhere". To propose an idea: it could simply be an eternal cycle of big bang, big shrink, big bang, big shrink ad infinitum. In this case the universe is all that ever has been or will be. While this may be a matter of dodgy intuition I suspect...

Hmm, I'm not sure about the zero example. Its existence isn't really of the kind where proof is required. You could view it as a construction of the human intellect or perhaps some kind of platonic absolute, but either way it doesn't require proof. You could perhaps take your argument into the...

Dude, that is such a non-answer (and a patronising one at that). Ambiguous, mystical statements make a poor substitute for reason. As to where I think I am going to go when I pass away? I don't know... but what I do know is that I have no good reason to believe that I will go to 'heaven'. Is...

I'll restate my previous response: "Ok, let's suppose that these things are indeed miracles and not merely a matter of coincidence. What is it that convinces you (apart from sheer conviction) that these miracles are being performed by god, as conceived by you, as aposed to the god of another...

Ok, let's suppose that these things are indeed miracles and not merely a matter of coincidence. What is it that convinces you (apart from sheer conviction) that these miracles are being performed by god, as conceived by you, as aposed to the god of another religion or an immortal magician, or...

1 + x + x2 + ... + xn-1 = (xn - 1)/(x-1) (geometric) x + x2 + ... + xn = (xn+1 - x)/(x-1) = In Taking In so defined we can see that x + 2x2 + ... + nxn = nIn - (I1 + I2 + ... + In-1) = nIn - 1/(x-1) . (SUM j=1 to n-1) (xj+1 - x) = nIn + (n-1)x/(x-1) - 1/(x-1) . (SUM j=1 to...

let f(x) = x4 + px3 + qx + r We know that f(a) = f(-a) so: a4 + pa3 + qa + r = a4 - pa3 - qa + r 2pa3 + 2qa = 0 pa2 + q = 0 , therefore a = i(q/p)1/2 f(a) = 0 so f(i(q/p)1/2) = 0 q2/p2 - iq3/2/p1/2 + iq3/2/p1/2 + r = 0 q2/p2 + r = 0, therefore q2 + p2r = 0

There are individuals who are atheists but not communists so the strongest claim you can make is that some atheists are communists- which is fairly uninteresting, kind of like 'some nurses play musical instruments'. The end.

Poor form people.

I think it's silly when people introduce propositions along the lines of 'god possesses properties which we do not understand and cannot possibly comprehend'. If someone wants to ascribe god an unconventional form of existence then they should define what this new form is. Rational argument...

It's been a while since I've done the perms/combs thing but I think you should be able to do something along the lines of: Line up the boys: B B B B B B Then consider the spaces where girls can go: 1 B 2 B 3 B 4 B 5 B 6 B 7 No. ways to arrange the boys = 6! No. ways to pick spaces =...

x4 + y4 = 1 (1) OP = (x2 + y2)1/2 OP4 = x4 + y4 + 2x2y2 OP4 = 1 + 2x2y2 (2) We know that x4 + y4 >= 2x2y2 hence, using (2), it follows that : x4 + y4 >= OP4 - 1 1 >= OP4 - 1 (using (1)) OP <= 21/4

How?

"Consider a case" = a hint to the reader that I'm creating a hypothetical. Good job showing that my imaginary situation is just that: imaginary.

Try not to use 'what you have heard about' as a reliable measure of things like crime rate. America has roughly 15 times our population. Consider a case where america has twice the rate of school shootings (shootings per 1000) - you would expect to hear about 30 american shootings for every one...

This kind of question is nasty, I don't think you can solve it through methods other than sheer force. It's not too disimilar to asking how many distinct ways there are to arrange n identical objects, e.g. for 4 objects you have groups of 4, 3+1, 2+2, 2+1+1, 1+1+1+1... which is much the same...

I assume that you're quoting me. I don't think you understand what I was trying to say. On page 216 The Logical One proposed criteria for determining whether a belief is rational / whether someone has proper knowledge (using his new found epistemological tools). He claimed that for a belief...

Not the best argument in the world ---> even if you can show that 'evils' have been commited in the name of atheism (hard to do given that it is essentially a value neutral position) you are still left with a choice between two 'evils'. Regardless of whether atheism manages to come out worse...

Wow, thanks for the hefty response. There are a couple things I'd like to say in reply: 1) The cultural stuff I was talking about isn't really a matter of first world / third world or rich and poor - it's a matter of female autonomy and liberation. A region can be relatively poor at the same...

Acid users.