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It is a commonplace notion among those who find the multiverse idea compelling that in the multiverse there are an infinite number of each of us, varying one from the other in great and small ways.
This is reflected both in pop-cultural representations, as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as musings from physicists who excitedly propose the idea.
There is, however, no reason to suppose that these enthusiasts are right.
Read moreHere at the Ministry of Culture, we encourage a boundless appreciation for beauty, and we find that many in the culture at large—on both the left and right of the political spectrum—have, for various complex reasons, an anemic or even hostile relationship with beauty.
Read moreI'm going to tell you how to win every argument: indifference. As long as you recast your opponent’s argument in terms that make it seem like there is no compelling reason to care to to be convinced, you will never lose.
This is a technique the atheist often employs. If the Christian argues that God must exist in order to give meaning to our lives, the atheist need simply say: "I don't care if my life matters in some grand sense, or to some almighty being. It matters to me. That's enough." Or if the theist argues that morality must be grounded in some ultimate standard of right and wrong, the atheist can say, "I don't care about 'objective' morality. As long as most people agree that we shouldn't harm each other, that's enough for me." If the theist argues that the universe requires an explanation for its existence, or else it is unintelligible, the atheist can say, "I'm comfortable with the universe being a brute fact. Science can explain how microwaves and black holes work, and that's enough for me."
There's no way to convince the indifferent interlocutor to care about your argument. No matter how subtle, how precise, or how convincing you are, they can always declare: "I'm not convinced. You haven't given me enough evidence to believe the premises of your argument, so I reject the conclusion. And anyway, it doesn’t much matter." And that's just the reasonable ones.
Be on the lookout, when arguing with skeptics and atheists, for a rhetorical technique I call the Shermer Shuffle. I call it that because I noticed it most clearly watching a debate with infamous atheist Michael Shermer and because it is not so much an argument as a fancy jig that distracts the theist interlocutor while entertaining the crowd.
It goes like this:
Read moreEinstein's theory of relativity is false, and all the physicists know it. It is false because it does not describe every feature of physical reality. To describe the world of the very small you need quantum mechanics. But relativity and quantum mechanics are ultimately incompatible theories. They can't both be true. Quantum mechanics is also false, because it cannot describe all the phenomena that relativity can.
The two most successful, best tested, most accurate physical theories we have are, in different ways, insufficient, and mutually contradictory. They are, therefore, both false.
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