The concept and nature of God Flashcards
what does it mean to say God is Omniscient (3)?
Omniscience is a great-making property which gives God the ability to know all true propositions. This means that God knows all that is knowable and has the greatest amount of knowledge possible for an individual.
what does it mean to say God is Omnipotent (3)?
omnipotence is a great making property which makes God maximally powerful. This can be understood in two ways : a cartesian view states that God can do everything while a Thomas view claims God can only do what is logically possible.
what does it mean to say God is omnibenevolent(3)?
Omnibenevolence is a great making property which makes God all-loving and maximally good.
what does it mean to say God is omnibenevolent(3)?
Omnibenevolence is a great making property which makes God all-loving and maximally good.
what does it mean to say God is eternal(3)?
to say that God is eternal is to say he is without beginning and end. He is outside of time and does not experience temporal succession - he is atemporal.
what does it mean to say God is everlasting(3)?
to say God is everlasting is to say he is without beginning and end. His is inside of time and does experience temporal succession - he is temporal albeit without start or finish.
What is the Euthyphro dilemma(5)?
the Euthyphro dilemma begins by pointing out that God is all-good, so if he wills ‘x’ then ‘x’ must be good. This poses an issue as if one interprets this as ‘x is good because God commands it’ then a tautology would be created. If ‘good = God commands it’ then ‘God is good because he only ever commands what it good’ becomes ‘God is good because he commands what he commands’. Therefore, the Euthyphro dilemma makes God’s goodness trivial and unpraiseworthy.
Explain the paradox of the stone(5)?
the paradox of the stone poses a scenario that questions whether god can create a stone so heavy which he himself cannot life. The paradox proves the incoherence of God being an omnipotent being as if creates the stone then he is not all-powerful as there is something which he isn’t strong enough to life, if he cannot create the stone then he is not all-powerful as there is an act which he cannot perform. Therefore, there is always one task which God cannot perform, however to be omnipotent is to be able to perform all tasks, so he is not omnipotent.
Explain the argument that the existence of an omniscient God is incompatible with free human beings(5)?
- God is omniscient only if he knows all true propositions
- there are true propositions about the future
- so God is omniscient only if he knows all true future propositions
- If God knows all future propositions, including those that contain my actions, then it is impossible for those actions to be false
- if those propositions cannot be false then I must carry out the actions specified in those propositions
- therefore, if God is omniscient, I am not free.
Explain why there are competing views on God’s relationship with time(5)?
what is an inductive argument(3)?
An inductive argument involves making general conclusions from specific instances and experiences. The premises do not guarantee the truth of the conclusion but can be made more probable with evidence. An example of an inductive argument is: 1. all the swans I’ve seen are white 2. therefore all swans are white.
what is an deductive argument(3)?
A deductive argument is where the premises guarantee the truth of the conclusion, given that the premises are true too. An example is: 1. all humans are mortal 2. socrates is human 3. socrates must be mortal. Here, premise one and two being true guarantee the truth of premise three (conclusion)
What does it mean to say that existence is not a predicate? (3 marks)
to say that something exists does not add any property or characteristic to the concept. For instance, imagine a cake, saying that it exists changes nothing to the cake. Therefore, existence cannot function as a predicate such as red which adds characteristics to any concept which it is applied to.
What is an argument from analogy? (3 marks)
An argument from analogy is based on the resemblance between x and y. If x and y have similar attributes, then the argument infers that if x has an additional attribute, then it would be likely for you to to have it as well. However this conclusion is not guaranteed, the strength of the argument is based on how strong the resemblance is between x and y.
What is spatial order? (3 marks)
Spatial order is the observable complexity, purposefulness, and harmony, that are in the parts of our universe. For instance, the eye is a complex biological part of the universe which serves a purpose to help us see and has intricate parts which work in harmony with each other.
What is temporal order? (3 marks)
Temporal order is the order/regularity of succession found in the universe (i.e the regular and universal laws of nature). an example of something which exhibits temporal order would be the sun rising in a predictable pattern each day.
What is spatial disorder? (3 marks)
Spatial order is randomness exhibited in the universe that doesn’t seem to be happening for any function. An example of spatial disorder the random shapes of cloud formations.
What is the fallacy of composition? (3 marks)
What is an the causal principle? (3 marks)
What is a necessary being? (3 marks)
What is an a priori argument? (3 marks)
What is the principle of sufficient reason? (3 marks)
