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The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
#1
The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
This is either the bravest or dumbest post I have ever made as my understanding of philosophy can be written on the back of a postage stamp in crayon.

AS follows:

Borrowing from Rational AKD's post:

Quote:Purpose:
Just to be clear, the purpose of this argument is to prove the mere possibility that God exists implies his actual existence. with the success of this argument, the only burden I have to fulfill is to prove God is possible, then logic dictates he actually exists. God here is defined generically as an omnipotent, omniscient, morally perfect being. this definition may be consistent with any monotheistic or deistic theology. this argument does not prove Christianity is correct. it does prove atheism is incorrect.

Argument:
P1: the concept of God has no contradictions in itself.
P2: if the concept of God has no contradictions, it is conceivable.
C1: therefore God is conceivable.
P3: if God's existence were dependent upon an external factor, he wouldn't be omnipotent.
P4: the concept of God includes omnipotence.
C2: therefore God's existence is not dependent upon an external factor.
P5: if something's existence is not dependent upon an external factor, then it necessarily exists in and of itself (given it is conceivable).
C3: therefore God's existence is necessary in and of itself.
P6: something that necessarily exists must actually exist.
C4: therefore God exists.


I think this is a brilliant proof. If true then God, and just one God, has to exist. For the argument God is: "God here is defined generically as an omnipotent, omniscient, morally perfect being."

Part 1:

As I observed in the original thread, however, the moral component plays no part in the argument, other than as an original definition of God.

We can therefore create another definitional god which has all the properties of the above God but is perfectly immoral.

If the above argument is true then that God must exist just as the original must.

This brings us into a paradox. For them both to exist we get omnipotence incoherence in a battle of wills.

For one to exist the other must.
They cannot exist together.
Therefore neither exist.

Part 2:

In order to get around the problems above we must therefore remove morality entirely from our definition of God.

We now have an omnipotent, omniscient God who is probably morally neutral.

The original argument is unaffected. Therefore that God must exist.

Just as for the case of morality, however, so for the case of omniscience. Omniscience plays not part in the argument.

We could either chose to strip it out immediately, on the basis of Occam's razor, or generate another God using the original principle who is not omniscient and again face the conflict of wills problem.

Part 3:

In order to get around the problems above we must therefore remove omniscience entirely from our definition of God.

We now have an omnipotent God, morally neutral and not knowing everything.

If he can't know everything then he can know nothing.

Further, if the concept of the universe from nothing holds - and any universe in the multiverse can appear out of nothing then nothing(ness) fulfils the property of omnipotence in that it can create any possible universe.

Therefore nothingness is omnipotent.

Finale:

Whatever properties you assign to God the argument proves that he cannot exist. Whether he is omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect, whether he is just omnipotent and omniscient or merely omnipotent he tends to nothingness.

Interestingly the property not mentioned, "omnipresent", is also fulfilled by nothingness.

I thank you.
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!
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#2
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
There's an easier way to debunk it.

'P1: the concept of God has no contradictions in itself.'

Sez who? One must define the concept of God first in order to confidently state that it is non-contradictory. I'm unaware of ANY traditional concepts of God which are non-contradictory.

If P1 can be show to be false, the rest of the argument vanishes (to quote Douglas Adams) in a puff of logic.

Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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#3
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
Um, wtf. Isn't there like an exact same-named thread currently active? What are you adding, except your name on the thread?
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#4
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
Read it benny. It reaches the exact opposite conclusion.
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!
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#5
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
So what. Refute the argument in the original thread then.
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#6
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
I thought it deserved its own thread - what's your problem?
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!
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#7
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
(February 14, 2014 at 8:22 am)max-greece Wrote: I thought it deserved its own thread - what's your problem?
Ummm. . . multiple threads about the same subject running at the same time, obviously. Tongue

I'm done griping, though. Carry on.
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#8
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
Brilliant parody. It really underscores the can of worms you open up with ontological spurious logic and how much more sound it is to simply say "we don't know."

Really, I don't understand why the Ontological Argument was ever taken seriously. Just because you can imagine something to exist, it can possibly exist, and it couldn't have our defined traits if it didn't exist doesn't mean it really exists outside of our minds. To underscore the problem of this spurious logic, try to imagine its practical application:

***Walks into a bank***
"Hi, I'd like to withdraw one million dollars from my checking account."

"Sir, you don't even have an checking account at this bank."

"Well, is it possible I could have an account at this bank?"

"Um, sure, but I don't see..."

"And is it possible that a checking account could have 1 million dollars in it?"

"Well, theoretically, but..."

"And an account with one million dollars would have a million dollars in it, right?"

"Sure but..."

"And if I didn't have an account at this bank, it couldn't have 1 million dollars in it?"

"Exactly, and..."

"So we can imagine that I have a checking account with one million dollars at this bank, such a thing could exist and if it didn't exist, it wouldn't have 1 million dollars in it. So my account with 1 million dollars in it MUST exist."

"Wait! What?"

"So I'd like to withdraw my million dollars, please."

***Get thrown out of the bank***
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
...      -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
...       -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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#9
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
Seems good to me. Parody ontological arguments are, applied correctly, good responses to it. Smile
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#10
RE: The modal ontological argument - without modal logic proves atheism
(February 14, 2014 at 12:37 pm)MindForgedManacle Wrote: Seems good to me. Parody ontological arguments are, applied correctly, good responses to it. Smile

Naturally - ontological arguments are a fucking joke. Frankly, I can't imagine why anyone bothers with them anymore - they're the weakest form of argument by far, IMO.
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