Philosophy: God's Omnipotence

Question 1

What is Descartes model of God’s omnipotence?

Answer 1

God can do absolutely anything, including the logically impossible
i.e. he can make a square circle / swim despite having no body

Question 2

Explain how God can do the logically impossible for Descartes

Answer 2

God is the creator, and created the laws of logic, therefore he could do absolutely anything he wants as he is all powerful - he could break the laws of logic

Question 3

Challenges to Descartes

Answer 3

1. Presents an unpredictable view of God, who cannot be relied upon. Suggests that God could turn on us, not forgive us and do evil things
2. Creates difficulties for the theodicies: if Descartes is correct, then God can change the existence of evil in the world if he wanted to. if God can do the logically impossible, then it seems he could eliminate evil without removing our free will or opportunities for growth.
3. Gods moral rules may change any minute, or may be both true and false at the same time

Question 4

What is Aquinas’s model of God’s omnipotence?

Answer 4

God can do anything within his own nature which is logically possible

Question 5

Explain Aquinas’s understanding of God’s omnipotence.

Answer 5

God can do anything which is logically possible and not a contradiction in his nature, or the task itself. For Aquinas, logically impossible object e.g. a square circle, is meaningless and therefore do not limit God’s power as a squire circle cannot exist.

Question 6

Explain Aquinas’s 2 types of contradiction.

Answer 6

1. In the task itself.
2. Contradiction between the task and the nature of God.

Question 7

Explain the Paradox of the Stone, and how it criticises Aquinas.

Answer 7

Can God could create a stone so heavy he can’t lift it? This is problematic for omnipotence because if God can create the stone, there is something he cannot do – lift the stone. If he can’t make the stone, there is something he cannot do – make the stone.

Question 8

What is Mavrode’s response to the Paradox of the Stone in support of Aquinas?

Answer 8

the stone is logically self-contradictory if we notice the full context. It’s not just a really heavy stone – it is a stone ‘too heavy for an omnipotent being to lift’. Since by definition an omnipotent being could lift any stone, there is no such thing as a stone too heavy for an omnipotent being to lift, and thus it is in fact a logically impossible thing, just like a four-sided triangle. Therefore, the answer to the paradox is that God cannot create the stone and the reason is that it is logically impossible, but that doesn’t detract from God’s omnipotence according to Aquinas’s definition which is therefore still valid. So, Aquinas would say God can’t make the stone but that’s because it can’t be done, just like making a square circle.

Question 9

What do Vardy and Macquarrie suggest about God’s omnipotence?

Answer 9

God deliberately limits his own power for our benefit. God created the universe in such a way that his ability to act is necessarily limited.
This maintains his benevolence as any limitations are self-imposed.
Macquarrie - any limitations of God omnipotence are self-imposed. God is constrained in his omnipotence because he chose to limit his power out of his love for humanity