So you are willing to compromise?

Not capitulate.

So you want your way?

Our way.

Whatever do you mean?

Might does not make right. These laws we speak about are already ‘there’ to for us to discover and obey.

So you are a natural law proponent?

In that nature’s God has established them, yes.

There you go again, bringing up subjective superstitions.

My turn; does that mean you don’t believe in gravity and quantum mechanics?

What nonsense; every educated person believes in science.

Believes in ‘science’ or ‘truth’? ‘Science’ is a process of discovering the existent truth last time I checked.

Semantics, there is nothing else.

One can believe in the truth but there are many processes to discover it.

Really? I suppose you will bring up your pesky notion of religion.

Actually, I was going to bring up interpersonal conversation. We use it to discover all sorts of things: new friends during a conference, guilt or innocence in a court of law and where the nearest coffee bar is located; among other uses.

I bet you’ll say poetry and art are means of discovery as well? Not simply human invention to pass the time while we refrain from assaulting our neighbors.

I’d never accuse you of that, and yes, they are means of discovery. Not all truth is amenable to scientific process.

Any modern progressive human being knows better.

I don’t think you are right in what you say.

I’ll go so far as to say that your kinds’ time is over; we have surmounted the reaches of the north, to use your own poetry.

You can’t say that…

Sure I can; I can say anything I want, when I want and contradict myself to my heart’s content.

When you subject others to your pronouncements, it ceases to be whimsy and becomes tyranny.

There are no consequences, ultimately.

The townsfolk outside with the pitchforks beg to disagree.

Ah, but I said ultimately.

So you believe you are extinguished at death, do you?

Of course, and you believe in hellfire; what a quaint superstitious notion.

You may discover elsewise, I’m afraid.

Scare tactics, nothing more. Just to assert your control over me, but I’ll have none of that.

I think not; I just mean to communicate the truth. It is you who will have to deal with the consequences.