A Non Sequitur?

Farrell Till jftill@midwest.net
Mon, 26 Oct 1998 11:48:17 -0800 (00909452897, 2.2.32.19981026194817.0087df78@midwest.net) 

At 09:09 PM 10/25/98 -0000, Matthew Bell wrote:


>> M.FISHER

>> > > What Matt seems to think the argument is, is:

>> > > 

>> > > If there were evidence of an ecological catastrophe then the plague

>> > > happened.

>> > > 

>> > > But there is no evidence of an ecological catastrophe, therefore the

>> > > plague did not happen.

>> > > 

>> > > But the first implication is NOT what I am arguing rather, in proper MT

>> > > form, the argument is:

>> > > 

>> > > If there were a massive ecological catastrophe such as the Biblical

>> > > plagues, then there would be a great deal of archaeological evidence of

>> > > the catastrophe.

>> > > 

>> > > There is not evidence of any such massive ecological catastrophe in the

>> > > archaeological records, therefore the biblical plagues did not happen.

>> 

>> > CCBE

>> > This is a non sequitur, based on the assumption that the plague of

>> > water-blood had the ecologically catastrophic effect *you* envisage. Any

>> > number of factors not taken into account by you, such as the supernatural

>> > cause of the miracle

>> 


TILL
Bell needs to explain why the "supernatural cause" of a miracle (and what
other cause could there be for a miracle except the supernatural?) would not
leave any traces that the miracle had happened.  If he would give us his
rationale for assuming this, we will have something to answer; otherwise, we
have nothing to respond to.  So we will wait to see his explanation for why
event X would leave geological evidence if it were merely a natural event
but the same event X would not leave geological evidence if were
supernaturally caused.  I believe that Bell said something about a "non
sequitur," so maybe he needs to examine this part of his response in terms
of "non sequiturism."  Just why does it follow that an ecological
catastrophe would leave no geological evidence behind if it were
supernaturally caused?

Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net