Does God exist
args against God
args for God
divine attributes
paradox of divine moral perfection
Impeccability
possible worlds
paradox of the stone - pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
omniscient --> all knowing
omnibenevolent --> all loving
omnipotent --> all powerful
Orthodox 'Anselmian' understanding of God - has these attributes cause he's perfect - has them essentially
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aseity --> depends on nothing / has no cause
immutable --> unchanging
incorporeality
simplicity --> no parts/constituents
omnipresent
cosmological arg
teleological arg
ontological arg
others:
arg from conciousness
arg from evolution
arg from hell
arg from non-beleif
arg from poor design
omnipotence paradoxes
prob of evil
the arg:
the reductio
2) but what counts as anything - even the logically impossible?
3) can God deny/restrict himself
1) God is omnipotent
4) can god make a stone he cannot lift?
yes - something he cant do - lift the stone
no, something he cant so - not omnipotent
can - fallible & not divine
cant - something he cant do & not omnipotent
responces
P1) God exists
5) exists someone who can bring about a stone, s, that no-one can lift (from 4)
6) exists someone who can lift s (from 4)
4) there exists something that can bring about anything (from 1,2,3)
7) s both can & cannot be lifted (from 5,6)
P3) omnipotent being can bring about anything
P8) impossible something can & cannot be lifted
P2) if God exists would be omnipotent
9) contradiction (from 7,8)
P1) God exists
paradox is a reductio - might take as 1 for atheism
P2) if God exists would be omnipotent
some wonder if God needs the attributes commonly ascribed
cant go too far with this --> otherwise you aren't describing God
P3) omnipotent being can bring about anything --> the 'standard solution
many ways to define omnipotence:
- x is omnipotent off x can do anything (poss or imposs)
- x is omnipotent iff x can do anything (only if logically possible)
- x is omnipotent iff x is 'maximally great' (more power than any other being)
if 2 or 3 true - God doesnt need to be able to make the stone --> no slight against power just not logcally possible
'worlds' = universe/'everything that actually exists'
everyway world could be - God can make universe that way
actual world = our universe
BUT can only make logically possible worlds
use to talk about things like paradoxes easier
translate modal talk into poss worlds talk
model terms --> poss world terms
possibly P --> At some possible world P
its impossible that P --> At no poss world P
necessarily P --> at every poss world P
dont mix terms - e.g. dont use poss world talk with 'could' or 'possible'
poss worlds are heuristic - few beleive they really exist
Gid is essential omnibenvolent --> hes impeccable
"it is impossible for God to lie" - Hebrews 6:18
Conflict w/ impeccability
if all powerful can do anything --> e.g. torture for no reason
if impeccable/omnibenevolent impossible to do evil things --> e.g. impossible for him to torture for no good reason
Conc: God cant be both essentially all-powerful & essentially all-good
therefore there cant be perfect being - God
poss worlds talk:
X is essentially F = df at every possible world at which X exists, X is F
premises & paradox lay out:
P4) if being x has ability to do x, then is poss they do x (poss world at which it does x)
5) for any logical poss activity there poss world where God does it (from 2,4)
P3) at every poss world at which God exists he fails to sin (by definition of God)
P6) logically poss for someone to sin
P2) at every poss world at which God exists, hes omnipotent
7) is poss world at which God sins (from 5,6)
P1) god exists
8) is a poss world at which God sins & there isnt a poss world where God sins --> contradiction (from 3,7)
by reductio have to abandon a premise