OBLIC'S PROFILE

author=flowerthief
Well, I didn't mean to come across as picking on the original poster. He probably didn't mean to say things the way he worded it

I was challenging the notion that being unable to prove a negative should obligate one to a position of agnosticism (I certainly don't think it obligates one to a position of belief). Otherwise one would have to take the agnostic stance towards any number of unlikely things.

For instance, if I were to tell you sincerely that chocobos really exist, you wouldn't be able to prove me wrong. It's not as if you--or anyone--can confirm that there is no place on Earth where a chocobo might be. You could say such-and-such staff guy of Square-Enix swears that he invented the creature, but then you just have his word against mine.

Or suppose that a Cult of the Chocobo has been growing in membership lately. Faithful members of the Cult of the Chocobo claim that the Square-Enix guys got the idea in the first place from real chocobos, which they worship in a remote area of the globe that they refuse to reveal. There is a complete lack of evidence for what they say. Nobody has ever discovered chocobo remains. Nobody has captured a chocobo on film. Nobody has collected a chocobo feather. But nobody can disprove the claim either. Do you then say, "Well, we can't prove or disprove it so I guess I'm agnostic about the existence of chocobos"? If so, prepare to be agnostic about an endless number of beliefs and superstitions.

author=UPRC
I want to make sure that anyone who decides to wander off in a random direction is rewarded for doing so, at least to some extent.