Learning of the existence of Shinigami was one more confirmed step in the sequence of events where many of our conclusions were still sound. That was the only point I wished to illustrate, by mentioning them.
[Untrue, but Light knows that already.]
Concerning theoretical fiction... I qualified with "functionally" for a reason. Consider that if I want to prove that something does exist, all I have to do is find one example to present, and my job is finished. However, for me to say that something does not exist, unless I can show you every corner of the universe to infinitely large and small degrees, it's impossible to prove. The faithful tend to take advantage of this, in their arguments. The unscrupulous, in turn, take advantage of the faithful, because they recognize where the breakdown in logic has occurred. They recognize that there is an empty, open place that will respond to the declaration "here I am". It will complete some kind of a picture, and feel like an answer. It doesn't actually matter whether the piece completes the picture, mind you... just that it fits, and our own confirmation bias and backwards rationalization will finish the job from there, smoothing the edges and repainting an entire section, if necessary, to form something cohesive.
Have you ever listened to multiple eyewitness accounts, each of them telling something slightly different, and then understanding what's going on when you see video footage of the incident for yourself? So much can influence a human's understanding and perception of an event, or an idea... but the truth is objective. It's above pretension and ego. It's no coincidence that, to many, "the truth" and "God" are synonymous. Both of those things might be beyond our understanding, but only one of them is something we can observe directly, to any degree at all. By the way...
[Segue, right back to where Light might expect it to go]
I don't view the Shinigami as proof that God exists. An intelligent, extra-dimensional apex predator fits just as well. Those categories can be applied, once something is observable, and that's also something the faithful take advantage of in their arguments.
no subject
[Untrue, but Light knows that already.]
Concerning theoretical fiction... I qualified with "functionally" for a reason. Consider that if I want to prove that something does exist, all I have to do is find one example to present, and my job is finished. However, for me to say that something does not exist, unless I can show you every corner of the universe to infinitely large and small degrees, it's impossible to prove. The faithful tend to take advantage of this, in their arguments. The unscrupulous, in turn, take advantage of the faithful, because they recognize where the breakdown in logic has occurred. They recognize that there is an empty, open place that will respond to the declaration "here I am". It will complete some kind of a picture, and feel like an answer. It doesn't actually matter whether the piece completes the picture, mind you... just that it fits, and our own confirmation bias and backwards rationalization will finish the job from there, smoothing the edges and repainting an entire section, if necessary, to form something cohesive.
Have you ever listened to multiple eyewitness accounts, each of them telling something slightly different, and then understanding what's going on when you see video footage of the incident for yourself? So much can influence a human's understanding and perception of an event, or an idea... but the truth is objective. It's above pretension and ego. It's no coincidence that, to many, "the truth" and "God" are synonymous. Both of those things might be beyond our understanding, but only one of them is something we can observe directly, to any degree at all. By the way...
[Segue, right back to where Light might expect it to go]
I don't view the Shinigami as proof that God exists. An intelligent, extra-dimensional apex predator fits just as well. Those categories can be applied, once something is observable, and that's also something the faithful take advantage of in their arguments.