Could unicorns exist?

[Trinity]

If science cannot disprove the existence of unicorns, then how do we know they never existed? In fact, if science cannot disprove anything, how do we know it doesn't exist?

[Birdsnest]

I think that we would see evidence in archeology of their bones/horns if they did exist. I also sometimes wonder if someone was actually seeing something like a rhinocerous, and trying to explain it to someone, and it got mixed up in the process.

But sometimes myths are created to give people hope. Some of Irelands myths and legends had creatures that would come out of the sea and bring lost loved ones back. A good book might be Joseph Campbells "The Power of Myth" it has a lot of insights into why they are created.

The truth is, science doesn't explain everything. It tries to and wants to, but there is much more to life than science. Mysticism & mysteries are alive and well, and for good reason.

[mgb]

Science would ask you to prove they do exist.

[Jezebel]

I think that we would see evidence in archeology of their bones/horns if they did exist. I also sometimes wonder if someone was actually seeing something like a rhinocerous, and trying to explain it to someone, and it got mixed up in the process.

There's a theory that it was based on the oryx, which looks very much like a horse with one horn when seen in profile from a distance.

[Birdsnest]

Hey, it sure does look similar.

[shaytana]

Maybe because the unicorn is magical and supposedly immortal unless you cut off his horn that when it dies its body disappears in a flash of magical light, therefore the lack of bones is not proof that they do not exist.

Do you believe in magic?
great, now I got that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

[Boneca]

Have you ever seen the tusk of a narwhal? That looks exactly like a unicorn's horn! And the animal itself is so unbelievable that if you've never seen a narwhal you wouldn't believe they existed (a whale with one long tusk - yeah, right!).
I find it totally understandable that if someone down south found a narwhal tusk on a beach, they'd imagine it belonged to some other animal.

(By the way, this is not my theory...it was the explanation I received in school.)

http://www.narwhal.info/images/Photos/narwhal10-sm.jpg

[SensEye]

Science would ask you to prove they do exist.
Exactly. You can never prove the negative hypothesis (i.e. that something is not). It is generally accepted that something does not exist until it is proven to exist.

[mgb]

So people have come up with some reasons people might have though unicorns exist, but no unicorns...

[Zero Angel]

Do you believe in magic?
great, now I got that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
Aaaarg, its contagious! I hate you Shay! :mad:

:whistle:

[Trinity]

I asked this question as I had posted it as part of a fallacy assignment.

So the consensus seems to be that here are no unicorns because science cannot prove that they exist. SensEye said that "You can never prove the negative hypothesis (i.e. that something is not). It is generally accepted that something does not exist until it is proven to exist".

You had to know this was going to lead somewhere. So now, my question to you is... If science cannot prove there is a God, does that mean that God does not exist?

[mgb]

I asked this question as I had posted it as part of a fallacy assignment.

So the consensus seems to be that here are no unicorns because science cannot prove that they exist. SensEye said that "You can never prove the negative hypothesis (i.e. that something is not). It is generally accepted that something does not exist until it is proven to exist".

You had to know this was going to lead somewhere. So now, my question to you is... If science cannot prove there is a God, does that mean that God does not exist?

Nice Avatar.

Don't use science on this one.

Science is pretty much a religion all by itself. Here is the problem with science, interpretation of data. To prove that a unicorn exists I could show you a fluffy stuffed unicorn or a My Little Pony. They exist, so unicorns exist. Obviously that is not what is meant by unicorns but that is how science gets easily manipulated into proving that God exists.

God exists in the minds of the faithful. Beyond that I believe it is impossible to prove.

[Sackanaka]

"God exists in the minds of the faithful. Beyond that I believe it is impossible to prove."

Amen, brother.

[Birdsnest]

Hey, I wasn't too far off, this article in encyclopedia britannica says it might have been an Indian Rhinocerous.

http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article?tocId=9381515&query=unicorn&ct=

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=8909

http://www.intpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21&stc=1
I am noticing the length of the tail and feet, how similar they are, except for the colour. The difference is, one has a horn that points out, the other points in.

[SensEye]

That oryx photo is an optical illusion though, in reality it has two horns. Surely curious onlookers would see it in more than profile.

Trinity, I don't really want to get into the God issue on this thread, but yes, science cannot prove God exists. However, science cannot prove how life came to be either. So intelligent design remains a valid hypothesis. Best to remain undecided in my opinion.

[SensEye]

Do you believe in magic?
great, now I got that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Hah! Serves you right. Every time I see a post from you it's Three Dog Night city. I mean every time. It's like: "oh, theres a post from shaytana - don't start singing - dont start singing - noooooo...." ...

I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Sham-ba-la.....:whistle:

[shaytana]

Hah! Serves you right. Every time I see a post from you it's Three Dog Night city. I mean every time. It's like: "oh, theres a post from shaytana - don't start singing - dont start singing - noooooo...." ...

I can tell my sister by the flowers in her eyes
On the road to Sham-ba-la.....:whistle:


Haha! I am going to have to download that song now.

[Aryan]

If science cannot disprove the existence of unicorns, then how do we know they never existed? In fact, if science cannot disprove anything, how do we know it doesn't exist?

Science does not come into the scene when there has been no observation.
Then its mere speculation.

[jimkopelli]

It depends on whether you think life on other planets might be possible or not. If there are enough planets, there's bound to be some somewhere with life, and a possibility that some of the resident life might look like what we think of as a unicorn.

[shaytana]

Unicorns from Planet X
sounds like a good movie

[jimkopelli]

Planet of the Unicorn?

[Claverhouse]

Unicorns did exist: if not some of my more despicable ancestors were severely misled when they went hunting them ( it's rather complicated, and disgustingly treacherous, but basically you get a maiden who has never been touched by man, or a chap willing to impersonate such a girl, have her sit in a wood, and eventually the unicorn approaches her and confidingly lays his ( or her ) head on the maid's lap and she lulls him ( or her ) by stroking his horn. Whereupon a party of mediaeval thugs leap out and kill him ( or her ) ).

Why ? Well, humans love killing most animals; and if the Chinese had anything to do with it they probably believed the horn was an aphrodisiac. They believe this about most parts of endangered animals, which is why so many animals are endangered.

Anyway, science doesn't exactly validate the existence of anything: things would exist if there wasn't any science at all. Same as the sound of falling trees when no-one can hear: just physical laws.

There were plenty of strange creatures around that confounded scientists when they appeared ( sometimes after denials that they could exist ), and there is absolutely no reason to believe the supply of unfound creatures is exhausted.

Anyway, I've got a German book on unicorns. What further proof do you want ?


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[ApeTheDog]

There is a chance that anything you can imagine exists, but I don't think unicorns have a larger chance at this any other fictional creature does. Unicorns could exist in the same way, and with the same chance, that the sevenwinged flutebeaver could. And if they do find one that exists, well, the odds of it being magical are even slighter as that would require disproving everything that science has proven so far. That's a big thing to do.

Let's hope that, if they do find a couple of living ones, they're not found in china. They'd grind the poor things back to extinction in no time to make a potency potion.