If It Quacks Like a Duck

[C_Mucius_Scaevola]

Some people claim to have seen ducks, when in fact all it is, is that they've been told stories about a duck by by people who were told stories about a duck by people who were told stories about a duck ... etc, to the nth degree. But none of them ever saw the duck, even the ones who first wrote the story down; it's just that they really, really want to believe there's a duck there. And they really, really want you to believe it, too, so they don't feel so alone in believing in invisible ducks. And one day, when they die, they believe they'll go to the great duck pond in the sky ... which nobody's ever seen, either.

This is the basic operating principle of the duckist.

Duck off.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

People don't fly around in the sky like superman but theists see people flying around in the sky like superman.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No it''s a duck and a kangaroo! And jesus! Praise flying jesus! I believe!

 

[blastula]

What is wrong with you people? It's a LLAMA! If it's anything other than a LLAMA it's because you've been deceived by various Avetheropoda.

It's no true Llama.

 

[blastula]

If it quacks like a duck, flaps its wings like a duck, has a bill like a duck, feet like a duck, feathers like a duck, can fly like a duck, craps like a duck, walks like a duck and lays eggs like a duck, I believe it's a duck.

But some people expect me to deny my properly basic belief in sensory experience of a duck because they have never seen a duck in their life - only kangaroos. So I am apparently deluding myself about the existence of ducks.
And so is everyone else who has experienced ducks in real life.

This is a basic operating principle of the atheist.

Sorry, not even the desperate Argument from Belief will conjure your shy and wispy god. He's still nowhere to be found.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

If it quacks like a duck, flaps its wings like a duck, has a bill like a duck, feet like a duck, feathers like a duck, can fly like a duck, craps like a duck, walks like a duck and lays eggs like a duck, I believe it's a duck.

But some people expect me to deny my properly basic belief in sensory experience of a duck because they have never seen a duck in their life - only kangaroos. So I am apparently deluding myself about the existence of ducks.
And so is everyone else who has experienced ducks in real life.

This is a basic operating principle of the atheist.

Sorry, not even the desperate Argument from Belief will conjure your shy and wispy god. He's still nowhere to be found.

Correct. He has nothing to show for his belief except his claims that something is there that cannot be seen, heard, tasted, described, or measured and quantified in any way, except to do all those things and conclude quite rationally that there isn't anything there. The measurements and attempts to quantify come up with zero anything.

He measures his duck in every possible way, states it certainly looks like a duck and has all the characteristics of a duck, but he still claims "kangaroo."

 

[Draconis]

Fun thing is that when western explorers discovered Australia and its odd fauna, they wondered if it was a separate creation (not mentioned in the bible).

So this kangaroo... did God create him in his spare time?

 

[bilby]

Fun thing is that when western explorers discovered Australia and its odd fauna, they wondered if it was a separate creation (not mentioned in the bible).

So this kangaroo... did God create him in his spare time?

He got bored and started experimenting with combos.

 

[AJ113]

I see a duck.
I'm not going to let random internet dude tell me that I didnt.
...especially when Internet dude has a problem with ducks and with folks who see ducks.

I'm sure the random internet dude would be quite happy if you showed him the duck that you see. Shouldn't be too difficult, should it? I mean, if you can see it, Mr Random Internet Dude should be able to see it too, right? In the same way that he can see trains, bacon sandwiches and kangaroos?

 

[Lion IRC]

Heaps of people have seen ducks.
Why do I have to prove the existence of ducks for the benefit of the gainsaying skeptic who says that just because they haven't seen a duck then therefore nobody else has ever seen a duck?

 

[Eldarion Lathria]

Heaps of people have seen ducks.
Why do I have to prove the existence of ducks for the benefit of the gainsaying skeptic who says that just because they haven't seen a duck then therefore nobody else has ever seen a duck?

But everybody who has says they have seen a duck describes it looking differently. I've heard people say a duck goes woof.

Eldarion Lathria

 

[OLDMAN]

Heaps of people have seen ducks.
Why do I have to prove the existence of ducks for the benefit of the gainsaying skeptic who says that just because they haven't seen a duck then therefore nobody else has ever seen a duck?

Well of course you don't have to prove the existence of ducks...but if you did, how hard would it be?

 

[Lion IRC]

Heaps of people have seen ducks.
Why do I have to prove the existence of ducks for the benefit of the gainsaying skeptic who says that just because they haven't seen a duck then therefore nobody else has ever seen a duck?

But everybody who has says they have seen a duck describes it looking differently. I've heard people say a duck goes woof.

Eldarion Lathria

What makes you think they are lying about the noise they heard?

 

[Lion IRC]

Well of course you don't have to prove the existence of ducks...but if you did, how hard would it be?

Pretty hard when the duck skeptic says...
"that's not a duck"
"that's not evidence"
"thousands of reported duck sightings are just hearsay/lies/delusions/argumentum ad populam"

 

[Lion IRC]

why should I trust the duck skeptic over the direct evidence of my sensory perception?

 

[blastula]

What sensory perception do you mean? You seeing things? If so, get your camera out.

 

[C_Mucius_Scaevola]

Well of course you don't have to prove the existence of ducks...but if you did, how hard would it be?

Pretty hard when the duck skeptic says...
"that's not a duck"
"that's not evidence"
"thousands of reported duck sightings are just hearsay/lies/delusions/argumentum ad populam"

Show the duck skeptic a duck, and he might quack in tune. Tell him about a duck that was served with orange sauce, then swam happily about the pond next day, you can forgive him for remaining duck-skeptic.

I've always been prone to believing what's put in front of my nose. Things I'm told implausible stories about ... meh, not so much.

 

[C_Mucius_Scaevola]

why should I trust the duck skeptic over the direct evidence of my sensory perception?

So your senses perceived some 2000-year-old guy with holes in his hands and a light around his head? Big deal. A friend of mine once perceived 6 UFO's dancing a polka round the Moon. He couldn't show any evidence of that, ether.

 

[Juma]

why should I trust the duck skeptic over the direct evidence of my sensory perception?

So spill the beans: what sensory perception?

 

[AJ113]

why should I trust the duck skeptic over the direct evidence of my sensory perception?

So spill the beans: what sensory perception?

Presumably his extra one. The one that others don't have.

 

[Learner]

So spill the beans: what sensory perception?

Presumably his extra one. The one that others don't have.

His own eyes and ears over the duck skeptic who doesn't accept whats in front of him ..

If it quacks (and walks) like a duck !