TheFallibleFiend wrote:

[quote]
That is my answer until I stumble on to a stronger conclusion that has some consensus in the scientific community.

Just because something can reasonbly be explained by X doesn't mean that X is the explanation.[quote]

I wrote:
[quote]What about reason and logic - are you saying that it is absolutely impossible for us to use those tools to uncover the truth about things?[quote]

TFF replied:
[quote]What about reason and logic? It takes more to be reasonable and logical than merely to invoke the words. A thing can sound reasonable and be logically consistent and yet have no discernable correspondence with physical reality. That's why science exists - a scientific theory has to produce testable hypotheses which would disprove it, if it were wrong. This is the central point that separates modern science from religion.[quote]

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Well you guys are doing a good job of masquerading as religious fundamentalist with all your sentimental irrational posturing.

Why can?t you stand by your own thinking on this matter? You?re prepared to trust some other people?s opinions on topics, but not your own?

Why not try? Construct a ?logically consistent? argument for the existence of altruism, and we?ll debate it.

I?ve done it by showing that altruism doesn?t exist due to all human action being caused by our attachments. I?ve explain very clearly that it is impossible for us to do things unselfishly whilst we have an ego. This is a logical statement, based on the Law of Identity: A=A. That is: on the one side we have the non-existence of altruism equallingthe fact that each and every one of us has an ego, which causes us always to act in self interest. It can?t get any simpler than that.
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TFF continued:
[quote]I'm not asserting that altruism is more than illusory, nor am I asserting that the question is inherently unanswerable. Right now you have explanations - that's a good start. Are there experiments you might devise that could disprove a generalized statement of these explanations, if it they are wrong?[quote]

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Well, how about you think about it for a while, and then come back when you are ready to put forth an argument on this matter.

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Sue