Arguments For The Incoherence of The Concept of God Flashcards
What is the paradox of the stone?
“Can an all-powerful being create a stone so heavy that even it cannot lift it?”
If the being can’t lift the stone, it’s not all-powerful. But if it can’t create the stone, it’s also not all-powerful. This creates a puzzle about whether true omnipotence is possible.
Outline the response to the Paradox of the stone (Logical Impossibility) from Thomas Aquianas
Logical Impossibility Response — it is not a paradox because it describes something which is impossible, its nonsense. It sounds sensible, but it has no logical content, it’s nonsensical.
Outline the response to the Paradox of the stone (Inverting a Paradox) and one counter argument to it
Suppose that God can lift any stone, but he can’t create a stone that he can’t lift is equivalent that if god can create a stone, then god can lift it — not true
Counter — 1st sentence is about the whole ‘square’ of stones, however 2nd sentence is only about one part of the ‘square’ in which there stones that God can lift and create
What is the Euthyphro Dilemma?
Does God will what is morally good because it is good, or is it good because God wills it?
In the former, God is not omnipotent [This is because morality is not dependent on God, it is on its own good, therefore God wills it, so it makes God not omnipotent] ,
If the latter, morality is arbitrary [If something is good only because God wills it, then anything God wills could be deemed good, without any independent standard of what is morally right or wrong] and ‘God is good’ is tautologous [“God is good” seems to mean “God is what God wills” — it doesn’t tell us anything about the God’s character and it becomes circular]
Outline one response to The Euthyphro’s Dilemma (The logical Impossibility) and a Counter-argument to it
It’s logically impossible for god to want something that is morally bad
Counter — logical laws aren’t actually violated when saying that, so it is not logically impossible (in other words, it could be possible)
Outline a response to The Euthyphro’s Dilemma (The objection from God’s benevolence) and a Counter-argument to it
God’s standard is guided by his benevolence, God’s nature is essentially good!
So (does God will what is morally good because it is good, or is it good because God wills it) is in essence the same thing - water and ice are different but in essence the same thing.
Morality isn’t arbitrary. God cannot will something evil to be good, because that would contradict his nature.
Counter — it prevents God from acting freely (his nature inhibits his free will)
