It appears to me that 97% of all Internet posters, both atheists and Christians,
political debaters, and everybody else, insist that it is THEY who have won the
argument and they declare victory. "I have won and you have lost" they say.
So?
So I wrote the following story just to have some innocent fun and to poke
some harmless jest at myself and everybody else who debates on the Internet.
This all-in-fun story could just as easily have been between John Christian
and Bob Christian.
____________
A Very Short Story About John And Bob and Tom.
by JAG
There are two atheists that are having an argument over contradictory propositions.
John Atheist and Bob Atheist.
They are having a private debate in their own thread.
They are now on page 40 in the thread and they are not writing short posts, but
long drawn out lengthy screeds.
They both claim victory and claim that they have established a high degree of
Probability that their position is the correct one, and that their opponent's
position is incorrect.
I have utterly defeated you says John. My arguments stand at a 90%
Probability of certainty and your arguments stand only at a 40% Probability
of certainty and here are my reasons to support what I say.
No, all that is incorrect replies Bob. My arguments stand at a 90%
Probability of certainty and your arguments only at a 40% Probability
of certainty and here are my reasons to support what I say.
_____________
The two atheists, John and Bob, decide to meet in Real World and continue
their arguments.
They do this and they continue to argue back and forth for 10 days until
they are near exhaustion.
Neither John or Bob will budge an inch.
How can we settle this, asks John.
Bob replies, let's go to the academic community and let them decide.
You mean we take a Majority Vote within the academic community?
Well no, replies John that would ruin our scholarly reputations and we'd be
howled out of the room because everybody knows that taking a Majority
Vote can not settle who has won an argument. So my Ph.D's against
your Ph.D's is not a very smart plan.
By the way Bob, again I have won and you have lost this argument.
No John, again you have lost and I have won this argument.
I know how we can settle this, said Bob, we can go and put our
case before this organization:
The International World Authority That Has The Power To Decide Who
Has, Or Has Not, Presented The Most Plausible Arguments.
That's a great idea replied John, but where are they located?
I don't know said Bob, lets ask Tom where we can find them.
So they asked Tom, but Tom said Listen fellas there is no such
organization in the world as that, and you both should know this.
John and Bob both said well okay Tom, I guess you are right about
that, but what in the world are we going to do now? How can we
settle who has won this argument with the highest degree of
Plausibility?
I know how we can settle it, said John. We can let Tom settle it.
Okay said Bob, we will let Tom settle this.
Okay Tom, which one of us has won this argument?
Tom replied I declare that John has won this argument with the
highest degree of Plausibility. I declare that John has won and
that Bob has lost.
And so it came to pass that it was forever settled by Tom. John
had won, and Bob had lost.
Ahh victory is sweet said John. I love it when I win and can know
for certain that I have won.
The End.
LOL
_______
Yeah, I know it was a dumb story, but it did make a few serious points
if you stop and think about it seriously.
`
political debaters, and everybody else, insist that it is THEY who have won the
argument and they declare victory. "I have won and you have lost" they say.
So?
So I wrote the following story just to have some innocent fun and to poke
some harmless jest at myself and everybody else who debates on the Internet.
This all-in-fun story could just as easily have been between John Christian
and Bob Christian.
____________
A Very Short Story About John And Bob and Tom.
by JAG
There are two atheists that are having an argument over contradictory propositions.
John Atheist and Bob Atheist.
They are having a private debate in their own thread.
They are now on page 40 in the thread and they are not writing short posts, but
long drawn out lengthy screeds.
They both claim victory and claim that they have established a high degree of
Probability that their position is the correct one, and that their opponent's
position is incorrect.
I have utterly defeated you says John. My arguments stand at a 90%
Probability of certainty and your arguments stand only at a 40% Probability
of certainty and here are my reasons to support what I say.
No, all that is incorrect replies Bob. My arguments stand at a 90%
Probability of certainty and your arguments only at a 40% Probability
of certainty and here are my reasons to support what I say.
_____________
The two atheists, John and Bob, decide to meet in Real World and continue
their arguments.
They do this and they continue to argue back and forth for 10 days until
they are near exhaustion.
Neither John or Bob will budge an inch.
How can we settle this, asks John.
Bob replies, let's go to the academic community and let them decide.
You mean we take a Majority Vote within the academic community?
Well no, replies John that would ruin our scholarly reputations and we'd be
howled out of the room because everybody knows that taking a Majority
Vote can not settle who has won an argument. So my Ph.D's against
your Ph.D's is not a very smart plan.
By the way Bob, again I have won and you have lost this argument.
No John, again you have lost and I have won this argument.
I know how we can settle this, said Bob, we can go and put our
case before this organization:
The International World Authority That Has The Power To Decide Who
Has, Or Has Not, Presented The Most Plausible Arguments.
That's a great idea replied John, but where are they located?
I don't know said Bob, lets ask Tom where we can find them.
So they asked Tom, but Tom said Listen fellas there is no such
organization in the world as that, and you both should know this.
John and Bob both said well okay Tom, I guess you are right about
that, but what in the world are we going to do now? How can we
settle who has won this argument with the highest degree of
Plausibility?
I know how we can settle it, said John. We can let Tom settle it.
Okay said Bob, we will let Tom settle this.
Okay Tom, which one of us has won this argument?
Tom replied I declare that John has won this argument with the
highest degree of Plausibility. I declare that John has won and
that Bob has lost.
And so it came to pass that it was forever settled by Tom. John
had won, and Bob had lost.
Ahh victory is sweet said John. I love it when I win and can know
for certain that I have won.
The End.
LOL
_______
Yeah, I know it was a dumb story, but it did make a few serious points
if you stop and think about it seriously.
`
