Whatever people try to imagine that science supposedly can’t analyze, it just ends up as more “stuff that makes stuff happen and happens because of other stuff”.
I think said people would object to this—e.g. “God certainly isn’t stuff, God is metaphysical!” This, of course, is not problem for causal diagrams. The math allows you to have arrows from metaphysical stuff to physical stuff, which allows you to see occam’s razor visually. But it’s interesting to think about how to best counter this argument when you’re trying to convince your opponent and not just yourself.
Fun gamble: Make a huge causal diagram as part of the discussion, and once people bring up the metaphysical God argument, point at the whole diagram and say “Okay, if God is metaphysical, then he’s the rules by which the diagrams operate. There, look at this diagram. You’re looking at God.”
I doubt it’d work, but the thought made me chuckle.
I think said people would object to this—e.g. “God certainly isn’t stuff, God is metaphysical!” This, of course, is not problem for causal diagrams. The math allows you to have arrows from metaphysical stuff to physical stuff, which allows you to see occam’s razor visually. But it’s interesting to think about how to best counter this argument when you’re trying to convince your opponent and not just yourself.
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:)
Fun gamble: Make a huge causal diagram as part of the discussion, and once people bring up the metaphysical God argument, point at the whole diagram and say “Okay, if God is metaphysical, then he’s the rules by which the diagrams operate. There, look at this diagram. You’re looking at God.”
I doubt it’d work, but the thought made me chuckle.
I suspect the best counter would have been to have seen more steps ahead and given them some abstract causal diagram practice.