tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post5558684712454938382..comments2024-01-24T10:39:27.668-05:00Comments on Coming Untrue: Big Questions and the Loss of FaithDr. S. L. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06303707167715370504noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-86497067452121871502014-09-02T17:14:54.075-04:002014-09-02T17:14:54.075-04:00"But how are you going to account for the fac..."But how are you going to account for the fact that although the old ladies do not know it, even if the world looks okay to them, the bellboy still has some of their money in his pocket? :)"<br /><br />They don't have to know that he stole 5 bucks from his manager. The story could also be that they give 45 to the manager with the instruction to tip the bell boy 5.Qmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-2038573846548812422014-09-02T16:01:31.570-04:002014-09-02T16:01:31.570-04:00You’re right, Qman – look for the misdirection. I ...You’re right, Qman – look for the misdirection. I had to read it twice, but the error is in letting IC frame the question. If you simply ask yourself (1) how much was paid at the beginning ($60) and (2) how much was left at the end (still $60: $5 for each lady, $5 for the bellboy and $40 for the manager), you’re fine. <br /><br />The laws of math behave themselves perfectly. It’s the questioner that cheats, by getting you to perform a calculation based on adding together apples and oranges (money paid vs. money held).<br /><br />Oh. Wait. IC beat me to it.<br /><br />Fine. What he said …<br />Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00346761712248157930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-30996182146553045072014-09-02T15:56:05.124-04:002014-09-02T15:56:05.124-04:00I think that misdirection -- or even misinformatio...I think that misdirection -- or even misinformation -- is precisely what throws people about these "unanswerable" questions from the skeptics. <br /><br />People often mistake their first moment of perplexity for some sort of more profound intuition that an answer doesn't exist at all, and this throws them. But sometimes a moment of perplexity is no more than that...a moment. <br /><br />And if it's a long moment, so what? That also doesn't turn "I don't know the answer" into "There is no answer." Either way, if an answer actually does exist, we'd be fools to abandon our faith.<br /><br />But how are you going to account for the fact that although the old ladies do not know it, even if the world looks okay to them, the bellboy still has some of their money in his pocket? :)Immanuel Canhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11580529966007662214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-5631134850799284672014-09-02T15:33:58.796-04:002014-09-02T15:33:58.796-04:00Hmm, when you watch a magician perform, I think he...Hmm, when you watch a magician perform, I think he uses a strategy called misdirection. I am sure you don't want to do that to your readers, right, IC :-) ? Since no one is taking a crack at this, let me try. Simply ignore the misdirection to the bell boy at this time, and stay with the ladies. For simplicity, assume each had $20.- in their wallet to start, then zero, and then $5 after the bell boy came. Thus, in their mind the room cost them $45 as opposed to previously when it cost them $60. They simply did not know the bell boy stole $5 and that the room really costs $40. So, to set the math right to them they simply add their $15 to the $45 and the world looks OK to them. Qmannoreply@blogger.com