# Ask Maudlin Murray O'Hair (the American Atheists guy) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 9, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876 "2003-02-09T13:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/81 "2003-02-11T03:40:18Z")
Damn, damn, damn. Um, oblivion, oblivion, oblivion. That was a question, and should have a question mark. Obviously the electrons carrying the ASCII code to the SDMB quantum-tunneled. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/82 "2003-02-11T09:15:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Everyone knows you can’t prove a negative. I will demonstrate: > Hypothesis: A negative cannot be proved. > Proof: I cannot prove my hypothesis. > QED [quantum tunneling directly to Libertarian, hidden from Mr. O’Hair]Ok, you’ve officially redeemed the thread as far as the humor vein goes. I don’t even KNOW what came flying out of my giggling nose when I read this (which means that, whatever it was, it can’t have existed).[/quantum tunneling] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/83 "2003-02-11T11:04:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kal \* > \*\*Dear Maudlin Murray O’Hair, > > When making love, have you found that shouting “Yes! Yes! Oh Non-existant supreme being, yes!” during orgasm gets you laughed at? \*\* Unfortunately, I usually shout, “Oh, Madalyn!” And that generally gets me slapped. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/84 "2003-02-11T11:19:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bong \* > \*\*Prove that evolution proves those statements. Nonsense reference COULD make evolution happen. \*\* Yes, and if my grandmother had balls, she’d be my grandfather. Don’t forget Occam’s Razor: “The simplest explanation is usually the best.” Which is simpler, that something caused the universe to exist? Or that there has eternally existed a manifold M-brane of 10-dimensional strings suspended in an 11-dimensional quantum supergravity field, and that our universe is a spontaneous, anomolous, and uncaused fluctuation from within a zero-dimensional worldvolume? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/85 "2003-02-11T12:49:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*Dear Mr. O’hair, > I have had personal experiences of [nonsense reference deleted] in my life. I have heard [nonsense reference deleted] speak to me, and it was not a dream or a hallucination. It was as real as the keyboard I type on. How can you say with certainty that I did _not_ talk to [nonsense reference deleted]? \*\* Listen to me very carefully. You are _extremely_ mentally ill. Neurosurgeons have made much progress of late in understanding how these fantasies about imaginary beings are produced in the brain. Consider the comments from V. S. Ramachandran, MD, PhD, in his seminal book, _Phantoms in the Brain_. He wrote: “Why is the revealed truth of such transcendent experience in any way “inferior” to the more mundane truth that we scientists dabble in? Indeed, if you are ever tempted to jump to this conclusion, just bear in mind that one could use exactly the same evidence — the involvement of the temporal lobes in religion — to argue for, rather than against, the existence of [nonsense reference deleted].” Clearly, what he means by that is that people who are hopelessly delusional, like yourself, might attempt to rationalize the actual existence of something that their brains have only conceived. Please seek professional help at once. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/86 "2003-02-11T20:30:24Z")
Clearly “something” is simpler, because it’s unidentified. Not explaining anything is always simpler than explaining something, but “something” isn’t explanatory, it’s just a clever restatement of “It happened, but I don’t know how or why.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/87 "2003-02-11T20:50:54Z")
Exactly. And well said, Apos. As Professor Edna E. Kramer writes in _The Nature and Growth of Modern Mathematics_, page 43: > [@](#): > > A dictionary may define frugality as economy, and economy as frugality, but a mathematician must not do so. He must initiate a deductive science with unproved propositions about undefined terms. Since cosmology is not mathematics, we may use circular propositions and terms that are recursively defined. ---
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/88 "2003-02-12T01:26:21Z")
Maudlin, my faith in reason and logic is currently being question. I’m worried that after critically examining it, I shall turn to nonsense to explain things. Can you help me prevent this eventuality? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/89 "2003-02-12T10:38:32Z")
Yes, Netbrian, we can help you. For only $1,500.00, you can have a lifetime membership in American Atheists. When your check or credit card clears, you will:[ul] [li]be entitled to attend our meetings[/li][li]receive a certificate[/li][li]be able chat with us online[/li][li]get 10% discounts on purchases from our online store[/li][li]receive our newsletter[/li][li]and so much more![/li][/ul][sub]All funds are in U.S. Dollars[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![bong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@bong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bong)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876/90 "2003-02-15T01:09:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\* > Don’t forget Occam’s Razor: “The simplest explanation is usually the best.” > > Which is simpler, that something caused the universe to exist? Or that there has eternally existed a manifold M-brane of 10-dimensional strings suspended in an 11-dimensional quantum supergravity field, and that our universe is a spontaneous, anomolous, and uncaused fluctuation from within a zero-dimensional worldvolume? \*\* :rolleyes: You just HAVE to be kidding. A being creating the universe is MUCH simpler than a manifold M-brane of 10-dimensional strings suspended in an 11-dimensional quantum supergravity field, and that our universe is a spontaneous, anomolous, and uncaused fluctuation from within a zero-dimensional worldvolume. How exactly is a manifold M-brane of 10-dimensional strings suspended in an 11-dimensional quantum supergravity field, and that our universe is a spontaneous, anomolous, and uncaused fluctuation from within a zero-dimensional worldvolume simpler than a being creating the univers?e [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-maudlin-murray-ohair-the-american-atheists-guy/153876.md?page=4)