God paradox
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
The God paradox is a problem in philosophy. The problem is explained here:
- If God can do anything, can He make a mountain which is too heavy for Him to lift?
This problem is a paradox because:
- If He can make such a mountain, there is something which He cannot do: He cannot lift the mountain,
- If He cannot make such a mountain, there is something which He cannot do: He cannot make the mountain.
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[change] Answers to the God Paradox
The God paradox is a good example of a philosophical problem. There are many answers and not only one correct answer. This section has some answers to the paradox.
[change] God cannot do the illogical
What is involved in this question is largely a definition game. As soon as you give a mountain the designation "too heavy to lift," you have made a hypothetical object that by its very definition is unliftable. It has no set size or weight. Its only characteristic is its inability to be lifted. Logically then, no amount of power can lift this mountain or it ceases to be. The issue then,is not really with the power of God to lift or create but with God's ability to do the illogical, such as lift the unliftable. Once an object is defined as unliftable, no amount of even infinite power can lift it. Secondly, the other issue here presupposes that God can only make mountains so large and asks if God can make one large enough to be "unliftable". This again is a definitional problem, not a power problem. It presupposes an end to infinite power. This is illogical. Can God make an unliftable mountain? No because such a thing is illogical, not because it is too big or too hard to make. Can God fail to lift an unliftable mountain? No because there is no such thing as an end to God's "lifting power". Much like God's inability to make up-downs or red-blues or light-darks or married bachelors, God cannot do the illogical and impossible.
[change] God does not follow human ideas
God does not have to follow our ideas of what is true and what is false. He can choose for something to be true and false at the same time.
[change] An answer from analytical philosophy
In analytical philosophy, problems can be solved by breaking it into smaller pieces. One solves each of the small problems.
Let us see how one can use this for the God Paradox. The paradox is:
- If God can do anything, can He make a mountain which is too heavy for Him to lift?
If one changes this question to a sentence, it becomes:
- God can do anything, which means that can He make a mountain which is too heavy for Him to lift.
We can make this even more simple. First we must see that because God can do anything:
- He can make a mountain,
- He can lift anything.
Now we can write the sentence as these facts:
- God can do anything.
- God can make a mountain (because of fact 1).
- God can lift anything (because of fact 1).
- God cannot lift the mountain.
Facts 1, 2 and 3 must always be true. Now we must see if fact 4 is true or false:
- If 4 is true, then 3 must be false (fact 1 must also be false).
- If 4 is false, then 1 must be false.
If 4 is true or false, fact 1 is disproved. Illustrating God paradox does make sense.
This rather simple language of logic (Primitive) does indeed rely on 1,2 and 3 all being true, therefore 4 must be true, if it is false then either 1,2 or 3 must also be false.
[change] References
These references were taken from the English article. They may not be simple to understand.
- Allen, Ethan. Reason: The Only Oracle of Man. J.P. Mendum, Cornill; 1854. Originally published 1784, Available online.Accessed 19 April 2006.
- Augustine. City of God and Christian Doctrine. The Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890 Available online. Accessed 26 September 2006.
- Burke, James. The Day the Universe Changed. Little, Brown; 1995 (paperback edition). ISBN 0-316-11704-8.
- Gleick, James. Genius. Pantheon, 1992. ISBN 0-679-40836-3.
- Haeckel, Ernst. The Riddle of the Universe. Harper and Brothers, 1900.
- Hoffman, Joshua, Rosenkrantz, Gary. "Omnipotence" The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2002 Edition). Edward N. Zalta (ed.) Available online. Accessed 19 April 2006.
- Mackie, J.L., "Evil and Omnipotence." Mind LXIV, No, 254 (April 1955).
- Wierenga, Edward. "Omnipotence" The Nature of God: An Inquiry into Divine Attributes. Cornell University Press, 1989. Available online. Accessed 19 April 2006.
- Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Available online via Project Gutenberg. Accessed 19 April 2006.
