› Forums › The Vibe › Chat › Is anything possible? (came across this on my travels and thought of PV)
- This topic has 5 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated August 4, 2011 at 2:48 pm by BioTech.
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August 4, 2011 at 10:52 am #1051329
Anonymous
this man can put it far better than I can; Rationally Speaking: “Anything is possible.” No, not really
August 4, 2011 at 10:55 am #1242721Anonymous
The best rendition of it is by J.L. Mackie, in an essay entitled “Evil and Omnipotence” published in Mind back in 1955. It is superb, and still very hard to best. The basic idea is that there seems to be something paradoxical about the very concept of omnipotence, which may indicate that the idea of omnipotency is intrinsically incoherent.
The argument is usually presented as a variant of the following: can an omnipotent god create a mountain that he cannot move? If you answer “yes,” it looks like god can do something that he cannot undo, which means that he is not, after all, omnipotent. If you respond “no” then you are immediately acknowledging a limit to what god can do, so again it turns out that he is not omnipotent. Try getting out of it, you’ll either laugh all the way to your logic class (if you are an atheist) or get a really bad headache (if you are a theist). (The funniest variation of the paradox is due to that immortal philosopher, Homer Simpson: “Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it?”)
just noticed that part, that’s a great paradox, one for the pub me thinks.
August 4, 2011 at 1:54 pm #1242723Unless I’m missing something, it’s only a paradox within the constraints of that argument. What I mean is, that little scenario has placed limitations on the supposed god. Who’s to say this hypothetical god can’t make any sized mountain and move it at will. It’s only the statement which seems to place pre-defined restrictions on him/her which makes the argument against omnipotence a bit flawed.
Or am I not getting it?
August 4, 2011 at 2:06 pm #1242724Oh I see now. As in does he have the power to purposefully create a mountain that can’t be moved even by himself and in doing so it would mean his power has limits. Still a bit stoopid though.
August 4, 2011 at 2:29 pm #1242722Anonymous
@BioTech 446305 wrote:
Oh I see now. As in does he have the power to purposefully create a mountain that can’t be moved even by himself and in doing so it would mean his power has limits. Still a bit stoopid though.
why is it stupid?
August 4, 2011 at 2:48 pm #1242725It’s certainly a paradox, I saw that once I had re-read it. However I’d say that if this hypothetical god was indeed omnipotent (which we tend to apply to most gods) then they would certainly have the ability to do whatever they please which means they would be able to make a mountain and do with it as they wish… They could make it immovable and at the same time moveable. I think we are applying human rules and thought processes to it.
Ok, it’s not stupid, just a bit too hypothetical and abstract.
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