Quote Originally Posted by dragonrider
Thank you for putting that so succinctly. That is exactly the point I was trying to make earlier when I got in so much trouble with the religious misunderstanding. By framing the theory in such a way that everything is consistent with everything we observe today and everything we can project into the past, it is impossible to DISPROVE the theory that the past was somehow manufactured.

But to me, the fact that a theory cannot be disproved, does not necessarily make in plausible. The problem with these kinds of theories is that they bring in an element that is not necessary. They make things more complicated than they need to be. If you say the universe came into being, proceeded according to physical laws that have remained unchanged over time, life eveloved, I was born, and my life is pretty much like I remember it, that is the most simple explanation. If you say that it only seems like that is what happened, all the evidence is consistent with that model, but actually the universe was created 5 minutes ago and all your memories were implanted, then you have brought in the element of whatever force did the creating and implanting. The second model is so much more complicated than the first, that is seems implausible, even if it cannot be disproven.
Exactly.

"The abscence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

Just because we cant disprove something doesnt mean it is true, but on the same note, just becuase we cant prove something doesnt mean its not true.

5 min theory, Thursdayism, Dreamer theory, all these things... they are possibilities. But the problem with them is we will never be able to prove them to be true. It doesnt mean they arent true, and arent real possibilities, but in most situations they are not brought up because of their very nature, and the fact that they usually bring a discussion to a halt. You cant really argue these kinds of ideas and theories, they are built almost with that very principle in mind.

As far as them being implausable, Im not sure I agree with that so much. What makes them that way, besides peoples misconceptions and ignorance? The very idea of them is that they are incredibly plausible, because they cant be proven and within them they contain everything needed to work. But we cant ever really call them fact, because there is no way to prove it. But idk if Id say it makes them implausable persay. I may have misunderstood what you were saying though... if thats the case, my apologies.
imitator Reviewed by imitator on . Does the past is real? Once, a friend of mine, asked me a question that i couldnt answer properly. Since then, i agree with him, but still am open for a good answer. He asked "do you have any CONCRETE proof that the past REALLY existed"? Like... the universe could have been created right now, as it is now. If we were created as we are now, with all memories already into our minds, how we could be sure that this memories were real, that they really refer to events that happened? How can we be sure that they are Rating: 5