New on the site: Michi-bot. An intelligent assistant based on the writings of Rabbi Michael Avraham.

Taylor’s proof

שו”תCategory: faithTaylor’s proof
asked 8 years ago

In the SD
Hello Rabbi,
I am reading the fourth notebook you wrote with interest. I saw that you brought Taylor’s argument, and you did well to explain it this way:
“Any such skeptic should ask himself whether he trusts his eyes? Is the fact that he sees something enough to convince him that this thing actually exists out there? If so, let him step back and examine himself: If he does indeed believe in a spontaneous process responsible for the formation of eyes (evolution), then there is no way to justify the trust he places in them. Just as someone who believes that the stones on the hill were arranged by chance cannot trust the message they convey to us, since in his opinion this is a mere coincidence. The connection between the shape of the stones and the state of affairs in the world could be anything (if anything). Similarly, someone who thinks that eyes are the result of blind chance cannot trust the information they convey to him.”
My question is why it is not possible to say that a person trusts his eyes and the rest of his organs as a result of experience! That is, he grows up with them from an early age and simply notices that they guide him correctly! It may be that at first (i.e. when he is a baby) he does not trust them, but experimentation and wondering over the years lead him to the unequivocal conclusion that they are right. (This is not similar to the possibility you raised there that he assumes this because he is uncomfortable being skeptical).
Of course, this itself proves that the eyes were created intentionally and intelligently in the direction of the “philosophical” proof (the physical-theological view), but seemingly this undermines the “theological” direction presented there.
I would appreciate the Rabbi’s explanation.
Thank you and Happy Shabbat!

Leave a Reply

0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 8 years ago

And for the experiment, what does he believe (Hum’s induction problem: what is the assumption that what was is what will be based on)? Alternatively, why does he believe the confirmation that the eyes receive (for example, the touch that confirms that the eyes saw correctly)?
But the comment is important and I’ve added an update to this section. Thank you.

משה replied 8 years ago

The eyes are not the result of blind chance but a process that achieves lasting results. I trust the process.

ישי replied 8 years ago

Moshe
If you rely on your eyes to survive, there is some logic to it (there is still the problem of induction). If you rely on them to obtain valid information, there is no logic to it (and therefore you cannot rely on them to obtain the information that leads to a conclusion about a process that achieves survival results).

משה replied 8 years ago

Yishai
Right. It is indeed likely that survival is consistently achieved not because of valid information

מיכי Staff replied 8 years ago

And where does this probability come from? From observation? (As it is said: Where will probability come from?!)

Leave a Reply

Back to top button