Boethius Flashcards
What is the best definition of omniscience ?
Every statement that is true, he knows is true and every statement that is false he knows is false
What would an omniscient God have ?
Divine foreknowledge
An omniscient God in the sense of what would have divine foreknowledge ?
Truest sense of the word
What is divine foreknowledge?
Would know everything that is going to happen and must happen no other alternative
What is Boethius first view ?
God is eternal-outside of time
Who is Boethius ?
- 6th century Roman philosopher and senator
- imprisoned and sentence to death for defending his friend from charges of conspiracy so wrote consolation of philosophy and dialogue between him and lady philosophy
What century Roman philosopher and senator was Boethius ?
6th century
What was Boethius book called ?
Constellations of philosophy
What was the dialogue of lady philosophy and Boethius of ?
Personification of philosophy
What does Boethius believe ?
God is eternal and must be outside of time
How do we experience time according to Boethius ?
- Past
- Present
- Future
What does Boethius refer to God as ?
Simetaneously present
What does God experience according to Boethius ?
A unified experience
What is God not bound by according to Boethius ?
By time like we are
What does God experience simultaneously?
The past , present and future
God has full knowledge of what according to Boethius ?
Of every single thing the past, present and future
What example to use to show God knows all things at once?
God has infinite amount of TV screens showing him the past, present and future which he experiences all at once
What is the first retort to Boethius ?
God’s eternity and omniscience compromises free-will
Retort 1, What does God omniscience and eternity do ?
- restriction on our freedom and making free choices if God knows our choice
What does retort 1 says about God
- God has divine Foreknowledge
- actions are pre-destined
Retort 1: our actions bring about Gods knowledge but does not fit with what ?
Does not fit with our understanding of God
Retort 1: what is our understanding of God ?
Understanding of God being immutable, unchanging and omniscient
Retort 1: our actions can’t be free otherwise what ?
Would be Changing God’s knowledge
Why is Changing Gods knowledge wrong ?
Contradiction to our understanding of immutable
What is the conflict for retort 1
Gods eternal nature and omniscience has compromised free- will either for two reasons
What is the first conflict ?
God is eternal , immutable , and omniscient but free-will isn’t possible
What is the second conflict , from retort 1:
God is everlasting, mutable and has limited omniscience and free will is possible
What is Boethius view to retort 1 ?
We need to understand the nature of God
What is Gods nature according to Boethius ?
Eternal
What is this view really about ?
God’s providence , that’s how he oversees the world and our free choice NOT his knowledge of the future
What does God providence allow ?
Allow free will which can be rewarded or punished afterlife rather than God intervening
What does Fedrich Schleimarcher say ?
- when you go out with your best friend for a meal you’re may guess what they’re going to have
- just like God , he knows what you’re likely to do , not pre-determined
- God knows what you’re likely to do but your are free to make the choice
What does Friedrich Schleiermarcher say God is ?
God is everlasting
However If you believe God is everlasting what does it mean ?
- God is everlasting he exist within time so running along the same temporal line as us
What does it mean if God has the same temporal timeline as us ?
He experience time as we do so does not know the future or does not have divine foreknowledge
What are the problems ?
- God can’t be omniscience in the truest sense of the world. He doesn’t have infinite knowledge
OR - God has imposed self-limiting restrictions on himself to allow us to have free will
Where can’t God be omniscient ?
In the truest sense of the word
Why can’t God be omniscience in the truest sense of the word ?
He doesn’t have infinite knowledge
What does God have on himself ?
Imposed self-limiting restrictions
By God having imposed self-limiting restrictions on himself what does it allow for us to?
Allows us to have free will
