Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
I joined @DryApologist and @johnbuck4008 to speak about the common consent argument, which is typically dismissed as fallacious without much consideration. However, I think the fact that most people in recorded history have believed in something godlike is some evidence favoring the existence of the divine. We discuss why that's the case, as well as the only good response to the argument: the evolutionary debunking response.
Defending the argument from widespread theistic belief: youtu.be/lF6Z7uKiHpQ (There are plenty of objections you may have thought of that didn't come up in this video. They're probably discussed in the longer video linked here ^ )
How did religion evolve? youtu.be/ARPxNYNgiSc
Full conversation with Dry Apologist, John Buck, and Chris Rhodes: youtube.com/live/NgwBQ0EwXU8?feature=share
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/emersongreen
. . .
“[Ad populum] is the ‘fallacy’ of believing something because most people believe it. But what exactly is supposed to be wrong with that? . . . Maybe the idea is that most people believing p is irrelevant to whether p is true. I.e., if most people believe it, that doesn’t mean it is more likely to be correct. Problem: This is obviously wrong. If most people believe something, that obviously does make it more likely to be correct than if most people don’t believe it. If most of our beliefs weren’t true, the human species would die out pretty much immediately. Sometimes, people elaborate on this ‘fallacy’ by citing examples of beliefs that were once widely held but were false – e.g., that the sun orbits the Earth. So let me now just mention a few typical examples of beliefs that are widely held: Dogs exist. It’s generally lighter in the daytime than at night. The sky is blue, not red, green, or yellow. There are more than three human beings in existence. Human beings commonly have beliefs and desires. Putting your hand in a fire hurts. Six is more than two. The Earth has existed for more than five minutes. When you drop rocks near the surface of the Earth, they generally fall. . . . I’m sure you can extend that list for a long time. Now, which would you say there are more of: Widely-held beliefs that are true, or ones that are false?”
Michael Huemer (Knowledge, Reality, and Value)
I joined @DryApologist and @johnbuck4008 to speak about the common consent argument, which is typically dismissed as fallacious without much consideration. However, I think the fact that most people in recorded history have believed in something godlike is some evidence favoring the existence of the divine. We discuss why that's the case, as well as the only good response to the argument: the evolutionary debunking response.
Defending the argument from widespread theistic belief: youtu.be/lF6Z7uKiHpQ (There are plenty of objections you may have thought of that didn't come up in this video. They're probably discussed in the longer video linked here ^ )
How did religion evolve? youtu.be/ARPxNYNgiSc
Full conversation with Dry Apologist, John Buck, and Chris Rhodes: youtube.com/live/NgwBQ0EwXU8?feature=share
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/emersongreen
. . .
“[Ad populum] is the ‘fallacy’ of believing something because most people believe it. But what exactly is supposed to be wrong with that? . . . Maybe the idea is that most people believing p is irrelevant to whether p is true. I.e., if most people believe it, that doesn’t mean it is more likely to be correct. Problem: This is obviously wrong. If most people believe something, that obviously does make it more likely to be correct than if most people don’t believe it. If most of our beliefs weren’t true, the human species would die out pretty much immediately. Sometimes, people elaborate on this ‘fallacy’ by citing examples of beliefs that were once widely held but were false – e.g., that the sun orbits the Earth. So let me now just mention a few typical examples of beliefs that are widely held: Dogs exist. It’s generally lighter in the daytime than at night. The sky is blue, not red, green, or yellow. There are more than three human beings in existence. Human beings commonly have beliefs and desires. Putting your hand in a fire hurts. Six is more than two. The Earth has existed for more than five minutes. When you drop rocks near the surface of the Earth, they generally fall. . . . I’m sure you can extend that list for a long time. Now, which would you say there are more of: Widely-held beliefs that are true, or ones that are false?”
Michael Huemer (Knowledge, Reality, and Value)
