The Impossible
Some claims shall never be possible. Not because we cannot find evidence, but because no such evidence can exist. Let us look at some examples.
Consider every supernatural entity, including the gods. There is no evidence they exist. Have we missed the evidence? No, that is the problem. No such evidence can exist. Why not?
They defy nature and thus cannot exist. Everything that physically exists is subject to the laws of nature. If it is not, it does not exist as a physical entity. The supernatural cannot physically exist. It can exist as a concept, but nothing more. If something does not physically exist, no evidence exists that it does. They do not exist, and there cannot be evidence for that which does not exist. It’s not just that no one has found such evidence. It cannot exist. The gods are impossible.
There cannot be any contradictions in reality. Nothing true contradicts something else that is true. Hence, if you know fact Y is true, but your claim contradicts fact Y, then your claim is impossible. You cannot establish its possibility. If your claims contradict known facts, they cannot be possible. It is impossible.
Suppose I say that I am a mammal and an octopus. But if I were an octopus, that contradicts my nature as a mammal, and vice versa. I cannot be both a mammal and an octopus. That is a contradiction. Why? Because an octopus is a mollusc and molluscs are not mammals. Either I am not a mammal, or I am not an octopus. But I know I am a mammal. So, I cannot be an octopus! That is impossible.
A claim is impossible when:
All the evidence shows that the claim is false, and there is none to show it true.
If your claim contradicts a known fact of reality, it is impossible. In a war against reality, you will lose.
Suppose you make a claim requiring something to contradict its nature or that otherwise contradicts known facts of reality. That is an absurd claim, and it is impossible.
Gods are immortal entities with supernatural, i.e., magical abilities. Despite what religionists would assert, “supernatural abilities” is equivalent to “magical abilities”. Is magic impossible? Yes. Magic is an attempt to rewrite reality. It pretends that the mind has power over nature. That presupposes you can force nature to change according to your desires. That’s just superstition, and it makes no sense. Any magical god is, by its supposed nature, impossible. You cannot separate gods from their magic; it is fundamental to their existence.
Therefore, we conclude no such god exists. It is not that we have no reason to believe he exists. We know no such being can exist. We know supernatural beings are impossible. And yet, everyone describes God as an inherently supernatural being. The supernatural entity described as God cannot, and therefore does not, exist.
The Possible vs. the Not Established as Possible
What is the distinction between ‘not established as possible’ and ‘impossible’? There is a distinction, and it is important.
Suppose you say, ‘Nobody has established this claim as possible.’ Until you do so, nobody has given you a reason to consider the claim. You cannot say it is possible without evidence. You need evidence to show it is impossible. “I have not shown it to be possible” is not the same as “impossible”.
Suppose I claim my cat is purple. I assert it with no evidence. Does this mean my cat cannot be purple because I did not provide evidence for my claim? Lack of evidence doesn’t mean the claim is false. My cat might be purple; how are you to know? You have no evidence suggesting it is possible or impossible. You have no way of knowing.
Failing to establish something’s possibility doesn’t mean it’s false. It is neither true nor false. You need evidence to conclude it is true or false. Without evidence, you cannot come to any conclusion; the claim is arbitrary.
The Arbitrary
Suppose Charles Darwin had asserted that evolution happens. Suppose he presented no evidence of any kind. Does this mean evolution does not or cannot happen? There is no reason to consider Darwin’s claim. However, the lack of evidence for his assertions is not evidence against them. If we lack evidence, we cannot say whether his assertions are valid – whether they are true or false. We cannot know whether his claims are possible or impossible. His claims are arbitrary until we find evidence for or against them. Arbitrary claims are of no cognitive value; we should pay no attention to them.
Why is this important? Why pursue ideas disconnected from reality? Do not waste mental effort on them. This claim lacks cognitive value, and nobody should present such an idea.
The arbitrary is worse than the false. Suppose you asserted you are a playing card. It is possible to prove that you are not a playing card. As far as I am aware, playing cards cannot talk. And you look nothing like a playing card! So it is impossible that you are a playing card.
Suppose you assert that some planet in a distant galaxy contains a pink unicorn. Presumably, we cannot verify this information. That is an arbitrary statement with no demonstrable connection to reality. Is it true or false? How could we know without evidence? We cannot check the planet. It is an arbitrary assertion.
How do we reach conclusions regarding this claim? Without sufficient information, conclusions are impossible. It’s pointless to think about it until then. We must collect evidence, and until then, this claim is worthless. Unless we do this, we are morally obligated to disregard the arbitrary claim as if it never existed.
Back to my allegedly purple cat. What if you say it is impossible? You need evidence to conclude that it is impossible. An impossible claim is one for which you have evidence proving it is false. If you lack evidence, you cannot say either way. Where is your evidence my allegedly splendid feline is not purple? Lack of evidence doesn’t determine possibility or impossibility. If there is no evidence, your claim is arbitrary. It is arbitrary to say it is impossible or possible. Unless I provide evidence, my assertion that it is purple is also arbitrary.
Valuable claims aid our understanding and achievement of values. To achieve values, we need to understand how the world works. We need to deal with reality. To do this, we must grasp the facts so that we can achieve rational values. We should prefer claims that have a demonstrable relation to reality. How do we know this? The claim requires evidence. We need to establish whether the claim is possible. We need a reason to ponder these ideas. That requires evidence.
What if our claim is impossible? We should move on and stop wasting our time. Impossible ideas are interesting fictional devices (time travel, anyone?) Impossible claims have some value in showing the danger of bad ideas.
Lacking supporting evidence, the assertion is arbitrary. There is no reason we should consider it. We should never waste our mental energy on the arbitrary. Don’t waste time on empty thoughts; focus on better things. Ideas disconnected from reality offer no lessons. Move on. Stop wasting your life on the arbitrary. You only get one life! It is too important to waste on cognitive black holes!
Outro
We have limited time and resources. What should we spend them on? Crackpot nonsense such as Young Earth Creationism that wants us to believe man lived alongside dinosaurs? Should we give money to scientists or to people who cannot distinguish the claims of the Bible and scientific research? The choice should be obvious.
(Provided by a CC BY-SA 4.0 licensy by Kaleeb18).
Should we choose to give money to charlatans such as homeopaths? Or should we give it to those doing legitimate medical work? The choice is obvious. No rational person takes homeopathy seriously. And nobody who expects homeopaths and other quacks to present evidence could take them seriously. Rejecting such nonsense doesn’t require being a scientist. Ask them for evidence for their claims and watch them run for the hills or rationalize like a buffoon.
Do we need expertise to reject pseudoscientific nonsense such as Creation Science (a contradiction in terms), homeopathy, and crystal healing? We do not; they have presented no evidence for their claims. Therefore, we should reject such claims.
Despite being given ample opportunities, they do not provide any evidence to support these claims. If the evidence exists, why not present it? Legitimate fields are eager to provide their evidence. Charlatans must provide excuses for why they cannot do so. They cannot hold on to their victims by legitimate means, so they rationalize their failures by making constant excuses to explain them away.
We need to pick those doing legitimate research and science. To do this, we must discover who can give us credible results. We must discover who is making credible claims within the realm of possibility. We might justifiably trust these people with our lives and resources.
What about those making incredible claims? We must avoid them like the plague. The best-case scenario is that we will waste our hard-earned time and money. The worst case is that they will be a danger to our health and our lives.
Our lives and prosperity depend on our making these sorts of decisions. Despite this, modern philosophy has everyone convinced that anything is possible. But you probably don’t believe them. Unless you are insane, you know it is impossible that an evil and murderous ten-tonne jam donut will wait to kill you as soon as you open the front door. You know it is possible to walk to your bed. You do it every day.
So don’t listen to them. You already know better than they do. If you did not, you could not function. You would be in constant fear of being attacked by giant ten-tonne jam donuts or being unable to go to bed. If you supposed yourself incapable of such decisions; your mind would freeze with dread, and you could not function.
You are not in a state of mental paralysis. Modern philosophy is wrong about this, as it is wrong about almost everything else it opines upon. Judge possibilities to the best you can. Act and live your life – it is the only one you have.