From nothing, nothing comes

[Guest:SS]

(I feel like stating the obvious... )

"whatever begins to exist must have a cause for it's existence".

I think that's overly complicated.
"whatever" = any/every
"begins to exist" = action
"cause for it's existence" = cause of an action

Or in simple words: Every action must have a cause.

But what would the cause be? You cause something to happen by enacting it - ie: with an action.

So: Every action is caused by an action.

And to reverse that and put it into rather familiar terms:
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton's First Law, I think?

But anyway, the whole "you can't get something from nothing", in strict terms, is (to me) so blatantly true that anyone asking for proof of it is just being ridiculous.

Sure, there will be plenty of times when it appears to be false - when things seem to come from nothing - but all that means is that we couldn't detect the cause.

As for the inevitable yet redundant religious debate: Anyone thinking the statement can prove or disprove the existance of a god is being a fool.
God might or might not exist. The statement being true doesn't prove that either way. If the statement was false, it still wouldn't prove it either way.


As for what the smallest unit of existance is - it is whatever the most powerful microscope in existance can detect.

[matt_the_shark]

lanair! you got your 5000th post and you didn't make a custom title yet? for shame!

[Lord Lanair]

*glances expectantly at SS*  

"As for what the smallest unit of existance is - it is whatever the most powerful microscope in existance can detect."  -Niiiiiiice.  LOL  

[Night Spawn]

As for the inevitable yet redundant religious debate: Anyone thinking the statement can prove or disprove the existance of a god is being a fool.
God might or might not exist. The statement being true doesn't prove that either way. If the statement was false, it still wouldn't prove it either way.

Hence, why this isn't a religious discussion and won't be.

I think that's overly complicated.

Not complicated at all.  It's just like saying "From nothing, nothing comes", but in different words.

in strict terms, is (to me) so blatantly true that anyone asking for proof of it is just being ridiculous.

Believe it or not a growing number of atheists are actually taking the position that something can begin to exist from absolute nothingness.  A physicist friend of mine actually believes this, but he doesn't use proof to defend his reasoning.  Heck, I can't help, but ask for proof when someone posits such a thing.  


Lanair,

I'm in a few discussions at Planet Wisdom with some rather annoying young earth creationists, so you're going to have to give me some time until I type that PM up.  Sorry.