Rational beliefs should be able to withstand scrutiny and opposing arguments. The inability to do so indicates that the belief is more about personal bias and emotional investment rather than objective analysis.

  • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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    6 months ago

    I believe the sun will rise tomorrow and if I said to you I had a sincere counterargument I’d be lying.

    Pardon me for being utterly emotional about things I guess lol.

    • KombatWombat@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      This is a good example showing OP was being too broad. I like the sentiment but think they should limit it to topics for which there is a sizable amount of genuine dissent (meaning we don’t have to invent an argument for an hypothetical unreasonable contrarian) and that aren’t easily demonstrably falsifiable (meaning we are covering opinions and theories, not matters of objective fact).

      OP likely was meaning to apply this to controversial social policies or philosophical questions exploring what values people prioritize. Too often loud voices demonize “the other side” and dismiss them out of hand with strawmen.

    • Bolt@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I mean there is technically no sound way to prove causality (at least to my knowledge). It all goes back to “It’s been that way before” which is fair enough, but not rigorous.

      • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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        5 months ago

        you don’t need to prove causality to prove the sun will come up that’s a made up thing you said

        • Bolt@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I would challenge you to. Saying literally anything about the future requires an assumption that it is affected by the past (ie. that previous events cause future ones).

          • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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            5 months ago

            Nope I believe every sunrise may be an independent event, not necessarily causally related to previous sunrises.

            I don’t need to invoke causality at all to believe the sun will rise.

            And, to confront your earlier assertion, consistency of past observations can be rigorous. I have got this on lock. ☀️

            • Bolt@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Oh sure, you can believe things without a sound proof (especially since even those must rely on assumptions). I was mostly trying to demonstrate that there are sincere counter-arguments to even such an uncontroversial belief. Would love to see your rigorous proof if you think you have one though.

              • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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                5 months ago

                I already gave a rigorous and sound proof. Incredibly consistent past observation is rigorous, as I stated.

                • Bolt@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Stating something doesn’t make it true. Your proof presumably relies on the past causing the future.

    • oo1@lemmings.world
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      6 months ago

      Sunrise is a matter of perspective though and I don’t think it is a very well refined scientific explanation of a broad set evidence. Ask a polar bear or an emporer penguin at this time of year. Or consider the majority of places in our solar system.

      • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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        6 months ago

        that’s a hypothetical, not a counterargument.

        yes if i lived in one of the polar circles the sun may not rise. but i don’t live there.

        this whole thread just needs a dictionary and some tea. buncha ppl stressing out and arguing semantics about pretty well-defined terms.

    • Thorny_Insight@lemm.eeOP
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      6 months ago

      An asteroid or a rogue planet that we somehow failed to detect could collide with the earth, stopping its rotation. Unlikely but not impossible.

  • mechoman444@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    This is not unpopular nor is this an opinion

    This is literally the process of falsification in the scientific method.

  • neidu2@feddit.nl
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    6 months ago

    I guess I’m emotional about whether I should breathe oxygen or not.

    • Thorny_Insight@lemm.eeOP
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      6 months ago

      That’s not exactly what I mean by belief and you know it.

      Speaking of sincere counter-arguments…

      • Shiggles@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        I dunno, sounds like your belief doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, you’re getting pretty emotional about it