RE: Modal ontological argument
February 2, 2022 at 10:05 am
(This post was last modified: February 2, 2022 at 10:09 am by polymath257.)
(February 2, 2022 at 9:41 am)Angrboda Wrote: Meh. It's basically an analytic truth that if a necessary being exists in one possible world it exists in all possible worlds, as that's what to be necessary means. The big question is whether it does exist in some possible world which is equivalent to asking whether the idea of a maximally excellent being is coherent. I'd say no.
But there's another way to tackle it. Suppose that it is possible that there never was anything, that nothing ever existed. Is this possible? Of course. If that's the case then it's trivial to produce a modal ontological disproof of God.
1. There exists a possible world in which nothing exists;
2. If nothing exists in some possible world then a maximally excellent being does not exist in that world;
3. If a maximally excellent being does not exist in some possible world, then it does not exist in all possible worlds;
4. Therefore, a maximally excellent being does not exist in this world.
This is a much more coherent argument than the one given by Platinga, I think.
(February 2, 2022 at 9:51 am)Belacqua Wrote:(February 2, 2022 at 9:41 am)Angrboda Wrote: Meh. It's basically an analytic truth that if a necessary being exists in one possible world it exists in all possible worlds, as that's what to be necessary means. The big question is whether it does exist in some possible world which is equivalent to asking whether the idea of a maximally excellent being is coherent. I'd say no.
But there's another way to tackle it. Suppose that it is possible that there never was anything, that nothing ever existed. Is this possible? Of course. If that's the case then it's trivial to produce a modal ontological disproof of God.
1. There exists a possible world in which nothing exists;
2. If nothing exists in some possible world then a maximally excellent being does not exist in that world;
3. If a maximally excellent being does not exist in some possible world, then it does not exist in all possible worlds;
4. Therefore, a maximally excellent being does not exist in this world.
If absolutely nothing exists in a world (including space, time, laws of nature, etc.) can that world be said to exist?
Yes. the empty set exists. And it has nothing in it. Don't confuse the container with the contents.
(February 2, 2022 at 10:04 am)Neo-Scholastic Wrote:(February 2, 2022 at 7:41 am)Jehanne Wrote: A great book on this subject, that mentions Craig by name, is Dot, Dot, Dot: Infinity Plus God Equals Folly by Dr. James A. Lindsay who, like our own Polymath, is a PhD pure mathematican. Kurt Gödel had a similar proof of God’s existence; WLC likes to be a copycat, a source of revenue for him, a communications major from Wheaton College.
IMHO a few amatuers are capable of outperforming many professionals and having deep subject field knowlege generally does not mean someone has any special wisdom outside his or her domain of expertice. Truth is not source dependent.
And yet, WLC seems to think he can detect contradictions in the notion of infinity in exactly places that professionals detect no contradiction, only confusion on the part of WLC.
