So you chose to say something only partly right, because the complete truth would scare ‘normal’ people? I question the effectiveness of this strategy when arguing for an objective standard of right-ness.
What might have been a better phrasing that stayed away from words that would scare off laypeople?
’The universe as we know it came into existence X years ago”. No need to say “was created” or bring in “what came before?” into the conversation at all, as it’s not the main subject, just an example.
Yes. I chose to say something only partly right. If I was talking to a creationist, I would suggest that maybe god could have used natural processes to create the world—because if I told them that there was no evidence for a god’s action on the universe, they’d assume that I was doing the devil’s work and not listen.
If I ended a conversation with my interlocutor’s beliefs now being one step closer to the truth, I would feel like I’d done a good job. I can always shift them again next time around.
I take your point about the alternative phrasing. I don’t think that that would have undermined my point, so I should have used it.
So you chose to say something only partly right, because the complete truth would scare ‘normal’ people? I question the effectiveness of this strategy when arguing for an objective standard of right-ness.
’The universe as we know it came into existence X years ago”. No need to say “was created” or bring in “what came before?” into the conversation at all, as it’s not the main subject, just an example.
Yes. I chose to say something only partly right. If I was talking to a creationist, I would suggest that maybe god could have used natural processes to create the world—because if I told them that there was no evidence for a god’s action on the universe, they’d assume that I was doing the devil’s work and not listen.
If I ended a conversation with my interlocutor’s beliefs now being one step closer to the truth, I would feel like I’d done a good job. I can always shift them again next time around.
I take your point about the alternative phrasing. I don’t think that that would have undermined my point, so I should have used it.