Part 2 “Four Subjective Arguments”, Chapter 2 “The Argument from Prophecy (and the Bible Codes)” (p. 64)
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Claiming that a holy book’s claims are undeniable because the book itself claims them to be is convincing only to the convinced.
— John Allen Paulos
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Claiming that a holy book’s claims are undeniable because the book itself claims them to be is convincing only to the convinced." in the context of "Part 2 “Four Subjective Arguments”, Chapter 2 “The Argument from Prophecy (and the Bible Codes)” (p. 64)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Allen Paulos" (Quotes, Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don’t Add Up (2008): All page numbers from the first trade paperback edition published in 2009 by Hill and Wang )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About John Allen Paulos
John Allen Paulos (born July 4, 1945) is an American professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a prominent figure as a writer and speaker on mathematics and the importance of mathematical literacy. Paulos writes about many subjects, especially of the dangers of mathematical innumeracy; that is, the layperson's misconceptions about numbers, probability, and logic.
About John Allen Paulos
John Allen Paulos (born July 4, 1945) is an American professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a prominent figure as a writer and speaker on mathematics and the importance of mathematical literacy. Paulos writes about many subjects, especially of the dangers of mathematical innumeracy; that is, the layperson's misconceptions about numbers, probability, and logic.
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