The Dating Game, Assumptions, and Creationist Tactics
A few months ago, I was included in a reply to mail from Haywire the Criminal Cyberstalker. (He is blocked from my account, but I was included in the reply because he was attacking me as well as other creationists.) This served as my introduction to John Heininger.
Haywire was commenting about John's "tactics". John replied,
Haywire was commenting about John's "tactics". John replied,
"I always relish people who can appreciate "my tactics"... I hate to think that I go to all the trouble of devising clever tactics that no one appreciates or notices. So, I have again reattached "The Dating Game Assumptions" article in PDF format for you to share around."
I was given permission to reproduce it, and did some minor editing of formatting, a couple of typos and such.
How to use ASSUMPTIONS to determine the age of the universe and the earth!
ASSUMPTIONS are extremely important when you don't have any solid facts to prove your "assumptions". As noted by New Scientist in The Dating Game, "Figuring out the age of the universe involves a SERIES OF ASSUMPTIONS about its geometry, expansion rate and composition." [Emphasis made]. However, knowing exactly how and when the universe was formed involves even more assumptions. As acknowledged by Kiri Bielby in The Coreshine Effect, "Astronomers know very little about the beginning of star life. . . . So when it comes to the birth of a star astronomers have been left in the dark - literally" (Cosmos Issue 36 December 2010 p.16)
Of course, based on all these assumptions, everyone and his dog knows that the universe is 13.57 Billion years old, and that the earth is 4.5 billion years - and, by extension, the solar system is not much older. These dating ASSUMPTIONS are really 'rock solid', and send the Bible "literalists" into a spin, placing them into an impossible position to defend. As unverifiable "assumptions" can be dreamed up to cover any and every situation. Which is why "explanations" of "unobserved" past events, using unverifiable "assumptions", work so well. As "explanations" as to what supposedly happened in the unobserved historical past allow endless variation and flexibility.
How the dating "assumptions" game is done:
Of course, the key dating element is "assumptions", and the key word is "time". Which you will "assume" has been uniform and constant throughout all "time".
The Tools:
First, get your bag of unverifiable naturalistic presuppositions, inferences, predictions, explanations, conjecture, and speculations out. Then get your Uniformitarian "assumptions" clock machine ready.
Now its dating "assumptions" time.
THE METHOD: First make some preliminary "assumptions" to exclude anything other than "natural" causes. As these will destroy your entire dating assumptions and methods. So, you start with the unproven "blind faith" assumption of philosophical naturalism and godless materialism. And this unsustainable unproven "belief" will be your equivalent of the creationists revelational authority. Which you no doubt already regard as absolute.
1. Assume that God does not exist, and never created anything.
2. Assume that God was never involved at any time, in any way.
3. Assume it's "impossible" for God to create a fully functional universe.
4. Assume that the natural material world is all that exists, or can exist.
5. Assume that the universe made itself, and naturally formed everything.
6. Assume that "science alone" can determine the true nature of ultimate reality.
Note: Of course, you need to know that the above "assumptions" are based on the "blind faith" beliefs, and the unverified ideological assumptions, of "metaphysical" naturalism. And that the belief that science alone is the only source of knowledge and truth is the definition of "scientism", not science.
Now, add your Uniformitarian cosmological "time" assumptions.
7. Assume that "time" has been UNIFORMLY CONSTANT throughout all of time.
8. Assume that Einstein's Theory of Relativity does not relate to time.
9. Assume that Relativistic Time Dilation plays no part at any time, at any place.
10. Assume that Cosmological Relativity never affected "time" in any way.
11. Assume that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, including the rapid inflation of the universe, which all scientists conclude happened in less than a second.
Now, add your "unalterable" Uniformitarian geology clock time "assumptions".
12. Choose only a naturalistic clock, and ignore all the conflicting dating methods.
13. Assume only slow processes involved throughout all of time.
14. Assume initial conditions, set time at zero.
15. Assume that there were no major factors or catastrophes involved.
16. Assume nothing else has ever interfered with clock.
17. Assume the clock was always same gradual speed.
18. Assume that you know everything about what happened in the past.
19. Assume that there is nothing you don't know about how things age.
20. Assume your uniformitarian dating methods and results are confirmed.
21. Interpret all data to conform to deep time, even though this is false.
22 Ensure the same "assumptions" apply to all your dating methods.
Note: Of course, you well know that this is like asking people around you for the correct time, and they all give you vastly different answers. So, pick the one that fits with your deep time "assumptions", even though you know that the clocks indicating a young earth would be more trustworthy. This is because while decay rates can be rapidly "increased" or "accelerated" by internal and external factors, they can never be reduced or slowed down.
The ASSUMPTION Dating Game Outcome:
You can now ASSUME that it all happened by natural events and material process alone, to the exclusion of God.
And ASSUME that God is no longer needed to account for the universe or anything else, as it all happened by itself naturalistically.
Thus, you can ASSUME that the universe and earth are "really" old.
More important, you can now ASSUME that you know exactly how the universe and everything else formed, including all living creatures, and even the Hawaiian Islands. Even though you have no way of ever knowing whether it happened that way, and not some another way. As it's impossible to "observe" something that happened millions and billions of years ago in the distant past.
None-the-less, these "assumptions", together with multitude of unverifiable "assumptions" underlying philosophical NATURALISM and DARWINISM, will enable you to engage in elaborate mental gymnastics and verbal semantics to show that the "inferences" underlying your many "assumption" are fully supported by all the other "unverifiable assumptions", including all those above.
NOW FOR A "TIMELY" WARNING!
You will need to know that if any of the above assumptions are wrong - you're dead.
As you CANNOT prove that God does not exist or was not involved - YOU'RE DEAD!
You're dead empirically because:
Unobserved and unrepeatable past events can never be verified by the scientific method. Thus, your hypothetical naturalistic "assumptions" will always be based on unverifiable "inferences", as there is no possible way of ever establishing that "unobserved" past events happened a particular way, and no other way.
You're dead philosophically because:
The delusion of NATURALISM is founded on an unrealistic and unachievable quest! As it is impossible to achieve a Theory of Everything while ever unresolved mysteries and issues still exist, as they do, and invariably will. Said philosopher Jean-Paul Sarte, "A finite point without an infinite reference point is meaningless and absurd." Meaning, all your godless assertions and deep-time dating assumptions are meaningless and absurd.
Thus, it is impossible for you to ever establish that life and existence is solely the result of natural events and material process alone, to the exclusion of God and other transcendent realities. As your insights will always be "limited" by "finite" human knowledge and understanding. Meaning, that you will never ever be in a position to know, that you really know, that you really know. In which case all your naturalistic assumptions have no rational or scientific foundation.
NOTE: If you ever establish that you can empirically scientifically verify ALL the above deep-time dating assumptions, then the young-earth creationists may start to take you seriously, until then have a good day.
HOW TO PLAY THE DEEP-TIME
"ASSUMPTIONS" DATING GAME
How to use ASSUMPTIONS to determine the age of the universe and the earth!
ASSUMPTIONS are extremely important when you don't have any solid facts to prove your "assumptions". As noted by New Scientist in The Dating Game, "Figuring out the age of the universe involves a SERIES OF ASSUMPTIONS about its geometry, expansion rate and composition." [Emphasis made]. However, knowing exactly how and when the universe was formed involves even more assumptions. As acknowledged by Kiri Bielby in The Coreshine Effect, "Astronomers know very little about the beginning of star life. . . . So when it comes to the birth of a star astronomers have been left in the dark - literally" (Cosmos Issue 36 December 2010 p.16)
Of course, based on all these assumptions, everyone and his dog knows that the universe is 13.57 Billion years old, and that the earth is 4.5 billion years - and, by extension, the solar system is not much older. These dating ASSUMPTIONS are really 'rock solid', and send the Bible "literalists" into a spin, placing them into an impossible position to defend. As unverifiable "assumptions" can be dreamed up to cover any and every situation. Which is why "explanations" of "unobserved" past events, using unverifiable "assumptions", work so well. As "explanations" as to what supposedly happened in the unobserved historical past allow endless variation and flexibility.
How the dating "assumptions" game is done:
Of course, the key dating element is "assumptions", and the key word is "time". Which you will "assume" has been uniform and constant throughout all "time".
The Tools:
First, get your bag of unverifiable naturalistic presuppositions, inferences, predictions, explanations, conjecture, and speculations out. Then get your Uniformitarian "assumptions" clock machine ready.
Now its dating "assumptions" time.
THE METHOD: First make some preliminary "assumptions" to exclude anything other than "natural" causes. As these will destroy your entire dating assumptions and methods. So, you start with the unproven "blind faith" assumption of philosophical naturalism and godless materialism. And this unsustainable unproven "belief" will be your equivalent of the creationists revelational authority. Which you no doubt already regard as absolute.
1. Assume that God does not exist, and never created anything.
2. Assume that God was never involved at any time, in any way.
3. Assume it's "impossible" for God to create a fully functional universe.
4. Assume that the natural material world is all that exists, or can exist.
5. Assume that the universe made itself, and naturally formed everything.
6. Assume that "science alone" can determine the true nature of ultimate reality.
Note: Of course, you need to know that the above "assumptions" are based on the "blind faith" beliefs, and the unverified ideological assumptions, of "metaphysical" naturalism. And that the belief that science alone is the only source of knowledge and truth is the definition of "scientism", not science.
Now, add your Uniformitarian cosmological "time" assumptions.
7. Assume that "time" has been UNIFORMLY CONSTANT throughout all of time.
8. Assume that Einstein's Theory of Relativity does not relate to time.
9. Assume that Relativistic Time Dilation plays no part at any time, at any place.
10. Assume that Cosmological Relativity never affected "time" in any way.
11. Assume that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, including the rapid inflation of the universe, which all scientists conclude happened in less than a second.
Now, add your "unalterable" Uniformitarian geology clock time "assumptions".
12. Choose only a naturalistic clock, and ignore all the conflicting dating methods.
13. Assume only slow processes involved throughout all of time.
14. Assume initial conditions, set time at zero.
15. Assume that there were no major factors or catastrophes involved.
16. Assume nothing else has ever interfered with clock.
17. Assume the clock was always same gradual speed.
18. Assume that you know everything about what happened in the past.
19. Assume that there is nothing you don't know about how things age.
20. Assume your uniformitarian dating methods and results are confirmed.
21. Interpret all data to conform to deep time, even though this is false.
22 Ensure the same "assumptions" apply to all your dating methods.
Note: Of course, you well know that this is like asking people around you for the correct time, and they all give you vastly different answers. So, pick the one that fits with your deep time "assumptions", even though you know that the clocks indicating a young earth would be more trustworthy. This is because while decay rates can be rapidly "increased" or "accelerated" by internal and external factors, they can never be reduced or slowed down.
The ASSUMPTION Dating Game Outcome:
You can now ASSUME that it all happened by natural events and material process alone, to the exclusion of God.
And ASSUME that God is no longer needed to account for the universe or anything else, as it all happened by itself naturalistically.
Thus, you can ASSUME that the universe and earth are "really" old.
More important, you can now ASSUME that you know exactly how the universe and everything else formed, including all living creatures, and even the Hawaiian Islands. Even though you have no way of ever knowing whether it happened that way, and not some another way. As it's impossible to "observe" something that happened millions and billions of years ago in the distant past.
None-the-less, these "assumptions", together with multitude of unverifiable "assumptions" underlying philosophical NATURALISM and DARWINISM, will enable you to engage in elaborate mental gymnastics and verbal semantics to show that the "inferences" underlying your many "assumption" are fully supported by all the other "unverifiable assumptions", including all those above.
NOW FOR A "TIMELY" WARNING!
You will need to know that if any of the above assumptions are wrong - you're dead.
As you CANNOT prove that God does not exist or was not involved - YOU'RE DEAD!
You're dead empirically because:
Unobserved and unrepeatable past events can never be verified by the scientific method. Thus, your hypothetical naturalistic "assumptions" will always be based on unverifiable "inferences", as there is no possible way of ever establishing that "unobserved" past events happened a particular way, and no other way.
You're dead philosophically because:
The delusion of NATURALISM is founded on an unrealistic and unachievable quest! As it is impossible to achieve a Theory of Everything while ever unresolved mysteries and issues still exist, as they do, and invariably will. Said philosopher Jean-Paul Sarte, "A finite point without an infinite reference point is meaningless and absurd." Meaning, all your godless assertions and deep-time dating assumptions are meaningless and absurd.
Thus, it is impossible for you to ever establish that life and existence is solely the result of natural events and material process alone, to the exclusion of God and other transcendent realities. As your insights will always be "limited" by "finite" human knowledge and understanding. Meaning, that you will never ever be in a position to know, that you really know, that you really know. In which case all your naturalistic assumptions have no rational or scientific foundation.
NOTE: If you ever establish that you can empirically scientifically verify ALL the above deep-time dating assumptions, then the young-earth creationists may start to take you seriously, until then have a good day.