1) Spinoza argued that previous philosophers incorrectly assumed God to be non-physical or immaterial based on the idea that anything physical is finite. Spinoza claimed God's attribute of "extension" proved God was physical.
2) However, Spinoza did not sufficiently prove that extension necessitates a physical God. A better view may be that God encompasses all ideas of perfection, including different states of being.
3) The author proposes a new conception of God as being like the number zero - infinite, immeasurable, and the source of all things while being neither physical nor abstract. On this view, God contains all contradictions and attributes.
This document summarizes several philosophical arguments for the existence of God put forth by prominent thinkers throughout history. It discusses St. Anselm of Canterbury's ontological argument, Thomas Aquinas' five ways, William Paley's teleological argument, Cardinal Newman's argument from conscience, Blaise Pascal's wager, John Smith's argument from life's crucial junctures, and Rudolf Otto's argument from religious experience. It analyzes the different approaches and perspectives addressed by each argument and emphasizes the importance of building faith on a solid foundation of truly knowing God rather than blindly following what others say.
This was for our Philosophy of Religion examination which required us to explain the arguments that prove God's existence: ontological argument ,cosmological argument ,teleological argument ,argument from conscience ,pragmatic argument ,argument from life’s crucial junctures , and argument from religious experience.
Discoverability Score
God has many attributes that describe his nature. Geisler proposes that God has 20 nonmoral attributes, 5 nonmoral characteristics, and 3 moral attributes. Some key attributes include omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy and wrath. It is important to understand God's attributes to have an accurate view of who God is. While we use attributes to describe God, we must do so analogically rather than univocally or equivocally. Certain metaphorical descriptions of God like anthropomorphisms are not meant to be taken literally.
The document discusses different philosophical arguments regarding whether existence can be considered a predicate of God. It summarizes Anselm's ontological argument that God must exist based on the definition of God as "a being than which nothing greater can be conceived." It also discusses criticisms of this view from Gaunilo, who argues that greatness does not necessarily imply existence, and from Kant, who argues that existence is not a predicate that provides any information about a concept. The document analyzes both sides of the debate around whether existence can logically be proven to be one of God's predicates.
The document discusses Norman Geisler's view that language about God can be meaningful, but is analogical rather than equivocal or univocal. It presents three views of language about God - equivocal, univocal, and analogous. Equivocal and univocal views are problematic, leaving skepticism or dogmatism, but the analogous view allows language to be similar without being identical to God. Concepts can apply to God and creatures in the same way, but be predicated differently based on God's infinite nature. Revelation and causality support applying perfections to God analogously. Objections to analogy are addressed by distinguishing concepts from predication and grounds for similarity in different types of causality.
Christian apologetics involves defending Christianity through reasoned arguments and evidence. There are various methodologies like classical, evidential, presuppositional, and reformed epistemology approaches. Classical apologetics uses arguments like the cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral arguments to establish God and then Christianity. Evidential focuses on the resurrection evidence. Presuppositional says one must accept God to understand the world. Reformed epistemology says belief in God is properly basic. Defenders use minimal facts about Jesus' death, empty tomb, and appearances to argue for his resurrection.
This document discusses arguments against the existence of God, including evidential arguments from nonbelief. It provides an overview of the argument from nonbelief, which argues that if God existed, his existence would be more obvious, but it is not as obvious as expected. It then discusses objections to this argument, such as free will and the idea that God does not intend salvation for all. It also outlines related arguments such as God wanting a relationship with all people according to some interpretations of religious doctrine. In under 3 sentences, this document analyzes the argument from nonbelief against God's existence and considers some common objections to this argument.
This document summarizes several philosophical arguments for the existence of God put forth by prominent thinkers throughout history. It discusses St. Anselm of Canterbury's ontological argument, Thomas Aquinas' five ways, William Paley's teleological argument, Cardinal Newman's argument from conscience, Blaise Pascal's wager, John Smith's argument from life's crucial junctures, and Rudolf Otto's argument from religious experience. It analyzes the different approaches and perspectives addressed by each argument and emphasizes the importance of building faith on a solid foundation of truly knowing God rather than blindly following what others say.
This was for our Philosophy of Religion examination which required us to explain the arguments that prove God's existence: ontological argument ,cosmological argument ,teleological argument ,argument from conscience ,pragmatic argument ,argument from life’s crucial junctures , and argument from religious experience.
Discoverability Score
God has many attributes that describe his nature. Geisler proposes that God has 20 nonmoral attributes, 5 nonmoral characteristics, and 3 moral attributes. Some key attributes include omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy and wrath. It is important to understand God's attributes to have an accurate view of who God is. While we use attributes to describe God, we must do so analogically rather than univocally or equivocally. Certain metaphorical descriptions of God like anthropomorphisms are not meant to be taken literally.
The document discusses different philosophical arguments regarding whether existence can be considered a predicate of God. It summarizes Anselm's ontological argument that God must exist based on the definition of God as "a being than which nothing greater can be conceived." It also discusses criticisms of this view from Gaunilo, who argues that greatness does not necessarily imply existence, and from Kant, who argues that existence is not a predicate that provides any information about a concept. The document analyzes both sides of the debate around whether existence can logically be proven to be one of God's predicates.
The document discusses Norman Geisler's view that language about God can be meaningful, but is analogical rather than equivocal or univocal. It presents three views of language about God - equivocal, univocal, and analogous. Equivocal and univocal views are problematic, leaving skepticism or dogmatism, but the analogous view allows language to be similar without being identical to God. Concepts can apply to God and creatures in the same way, but be predicated differently based on God's infinite nature. Revelation and causality support applying perfections to God analogously. Objections to analogy are addressed by distinguishing concepts from predication and grounds for similarity in different types of causality.
Christian apologetics involves defending Christianity through reasoned arguments and evidence. There are various methodologies like classical, evidential, presuppositional, and reformed epistemology approaches. Classical apologetics uses arguments like the cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral arguments to establish God and then Christianity. Evidential focuses on the resurrection evidence. Presuppositional says one must accept God to understand the world. Reformed epistemology says belief in God is properly basic. Defenders use minimal facts about Jesus' death, empty tomb, and appearances to argue for his resurrection.
This document discusses arguments against the existence of God, including evidential arguments from nonbelief. It provides an overview of the argument from nonbelief, which argues that if God existed, his existence would be more obvious, but it is not as obvious as expected. It then discusses objections to this argument, such as free will and the idea that God does not intend salvation for all. It also outlines related arguments such as God wanting a relationship with all people according to some interpretations of religious doctrine. In under 3 sentences, this document analyzes the argument from nonbelief against God's existence and considers some common objections to this argument.
This document discusses arguments for the existence of God from a philosophical perspective. It outlines several common arguments including the ontological, teleological, cosmological, and moral arguments. It also discusses how humans can conceive of abstract concepts like love and emotions that have no physical form, and suggests this ability could also be an argument for why humans can conceive of God. However, the document concludes that while arguments can be made, the existence of God cannot be ultimately proven or disproven, just as absolute truth cannot be known. It compares the concept of faith in God to faith in science.
This document examines whether human freedom and God's omniscience are compatible based on different theories of time. It defines key terms like omniscience, human freedom, and explores two theories of time: the B-Theory of time and the Growing Universe Theory of time. It concludes that human freedom and God's omniscience cannot coexist, as the B-Theory requires a determined future incompatible with freedom, while the Growing Universe Theory limits God's omniscience by not allowing knowledge of the future.
1. Evangelical theology is built on the foundation of supernatural events like creation, Jesus' miracles and resurrection, and his ascension into heaven.
2. There are two definitions of miracles - the weak view that they are unusual but not contrary to nature, and the strong view that they are beyond nature's power and can only be done by God.
3. Miracles have purposes like glorifying God, accrediting his spokespeople, and providing evidence for belief in God. Skeptics argue miracles violate immutable natural laws and that evidence is always greater for regular occurrences than rare ones, but these arguments can be refuted. Believing in miracles is important to theology because
John Duns Scotus was an influential 13th century philosopher and theologian. He was born in Scotland around 1266 and ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1291. Scotus studied and taught at Oxford and Paris. His works focused on natural theology, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. For Scotus, moral truths fall into two categories: necessary truths that are self-evident based on the definition of God, and contingent truths left to God's discretion. The commandments regarding worship of God are necessary, while other commands depend solely on God's will.
This document discusses different methods used in theology and their proponents. It argues that methodology is important because it determines the conclusions reached. Naturalistic methods will inevitably lead to naturalistic conclusions, while methods open to the supernatural will not rule out supernatural conclusions. It also discusses category mistakes in applying methods from one discipline to another inappropriately. Methods must not be antisupernatural or incompatible with evangelical beliefs to be valid for theology.
This document discusses various philosophical arguments that have been used throughout history to provide rational justification for belief in God. It outlines logical proofs put forth by thinkers like Aristotle, Aquinas, Anselm, and others. It also examines criticisms of these types of arguments, noting issues like ambiguous premises, dependence on outdated scientific assumptions, and the inability of logic alone to prove empirical claims. The document aims to provide context around the development and critique of different theological proofs and approaches to reasoning about God's existence.
This document discusses Martin Heidegger's existential hermeneutic and how it leads to subjective interpretation. It examines Heidegger's emphasis on history, the darkening of the world, Greek philosophy, and the role of poetry and language. The presentation evaluates Heidegger's hermeneutic, finding it involves unfounded assumptions and is self-defeating. It also discusses Rudolf Bultmann's attempt to "demythologize" biblical texts by eliminating miracles, but finds this view is without foundation and unbiblical. Finally, it argues for the possibility of objective interpretation based on the existence of an absolute mind (God), absolute meaning, and humanity's ability to understand divine
The document contains several Bible passages from Acts, Mark, Luke, and Matthew that discuss Jesus commanding his followers to go into the world and spread the gospel message. It also contains commentary affirming faith in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross to save humanity.
The document discusses different philosophical positions on the nature of reality - pluralism, which asserts that multiple beings exist, and monism, which argues that all of reality is a single being. It states that theism would take the position of pluralism by asserting that both God and the natural world exist as separate beings. It then provides an overview of several common cosmological, teleological, ontological, moral, and anthropic arguments for the existence of God.
The document discusses the ontological argument for God's existence. It explains Anselm's version of the argument, which claims that God must exist because God is defined as the greatest being conceivable, and a being that exists in reality is greater than one that exists only in the mind. It also discusses criticisms of the argument from philosophers like Gaunilo and Kant, who argue that just because something can be conceived does not mean it exists in reality, and existence is not an attribute that can be derived from a concept alone. Students are tasked with further analyzing and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the ontological argument.
The document discusses how internalism became entrenched in philosophy due to Descartes' assumption that in a demon world, our beliefs would remain the same. For centuries after Descartes, philosophers tried to justify our beliefs about the external world by analyzing them in terms of subjective experiences. A number of philosophers, including Berkeley, Hume, and Frege, developed theories attempting to bridge the Cartesian gap between mind and world, but their theories were still framed within the Cartesian paradigm of distinguishing between subjective and objective.
Proofs for the Existence of God PowerpointARH_Miller
The document summarizes three philosophical arguments for the existence of God: the ontological, cosmological, and teleological proofs. It outlines the key premises and conclusions of each proof, and then discusses criticisms of each proof put forth by philosophers David Hume and Charles Darwin. The criticisms question whether the proofs demonstrate a logical necessity of God's existence or merely impose order through human reasoning.
This document discusses and critiques pluralism and exclusivism in religion. It defines pluralism as the belief that all religions are true, while exclusivism is the belief that only one religion is true. The document analyzes John Hick's argument that religions should be viewed equally based on their moral teachings. However, several responses note that moral behavior does not prove religious truth claims. The document concludes that pluralism's view of truth is self-defeating, as it denies any single religion could be exclusively true while claiming its own view is correct.
Baruch Spinoza developed a concept of God through his theory of substance monism. He believed that God is the only substance that exists, and all other things are modes of God. God and nature are equivalent in Spinoza's view, making his philosophy pantheistic or panentheistic. Spinoza grounds his concept of God in the first part of his work Ethics through a series of definitions, axioms, and propositions. However, his view that God is equivalent to nature is criticized by those who believe God and nature should be distinct. Leibniz also objected to Spinoza's second premise that two substances cannot share attributes.
This document discusses various perspectives on an "impersonal" or "intraobjective" experience of reality that affirms a radical solidarity between humanity and reality. It touches on concepts like panentheism, distinguishing between describing experiences versus reality itself, and references traditions like Taoism, enlightenment, and Hesychasm that speak to a similar notion of subtle or uncreated energy. The document provides caveats about humanity's limited ability to articulate such ineffable experiences and suggests they derive ultimately from a supremely personal being.
This document provides an overview of philosophy of religion. It defines philosophy of religion as the branch of philosophy that studies religion from a rational perspective, examining themes such as the existence and nature of God, religious experience, and the problem of evil. The document summarizes some of the main themes in philosophy of religion, including arguments for the existence of God, views on immortality, types of religious experience, and the nature of religious language. Philosophy of religion analyzes religious doctrines and experiences to investigate their metaphysical and epistemological implications.
This document summarizes key aspects of Benedict de Spinoza's metaphysical philosophy as presented in his work Ethics. The summary includes:
1) Spinoza argued for substance monism, that there is only one substance which is God/Nature, and all things are modes or modifications of this one substance.
2) He used various arguments like the ontological, causal, and power arguments to prove the existence of an infinite, eternal substance with all possible attributes.
3) Modes exist as states of the one substance and can be either infinite/eternal or finite/temporal.
4) Spinoza's system is one of strict determinism, where all things are fully determined
This document outlines Kant's thesis that being is not a real predicate. It discusses Kant's rejection of the ontological proof for God's existence, which tries to prove God exists from the concept of God alone. For Kant, existence does not belong to the determinateness of any concept. The document then explains some of Kant's key terminology, such as how he distinguishes between being, existence, reality, and actuality. It analyzes Kant's view that existence involves absolutely positioning a thing, rather than relating it to other things through predication. In existential assertions, the entire conceptual content is posited in relation to the object itself.
The document discusses different perspectives on describing and interpreting reality and human experiences of reality. It distinguishes between describing empirical facts versus providing interpretive frameworks, and focuses on avoiding making claims that cannot be proven or describing aspects of reality that are beyond our understanding. It also discusses distinctions between God's essence and energies, and traditions that reference subtle spiritual energies or paradigms.
Thomas Aquinas presents five arguments for the existence of God in his Summa Theologica. He considers two objections against the thesis that God exists. The five arguments are: (1) argument from motion, that whatever is in motion must be put in motion by another, requiring a first unmoved mover (God); (2) argument from efficient causes, that an infinite regress is impossible so there must be a first cause (God); (3) argument from possibility and necessity, that contingent beings require a necessary being (God) to explain their existence; (4) argument from gradation of beings, that perfection requires a maximum perfection (God); (5) argument from governance, that purposeful natural phenomena require an
This document discusses arguments for the existence of God from a philosophical perspective. It outlines several common arguments including the ontological, teleological, cosmological, and moral arguments. It also discusses how humans can conceive of abstract concepts like love and emotions that have no physical form, and suggests this ability could also be an argument for why humans can conceive of God. However, the document concludes that while arguments can be made, the existence of God cannot be ultimately proven or disproven, just as absolute truth cannot be known. It compares the concept of faith in God to faith in science.
This document examines whether human freedom and God's omniscience are compatible based on different theories of time. It defines key terms like omniscience, human freedom, and explores two theories of time: the B-Theory of time and the Growing Universe Theory of time. It concludes that human freedom and God's omniscience cannot coexist, as the B-Theory requires a determined future incompatible with freedom, while the Growing Universe Theory limits God's omniscience by not allowing knowledge of the future.
1. Evangelical theology is built on the foundation of supernatural events like creation, Jesus' miracles and resurrection, and his ascension into heaven.
2. There are two definitions of miracles - the weak view that they are unusual but not contrary to nature, and the strong view that they are beyond nature's power and can only be done by God.
3. Miracles have purposes like glorifying God, accrediting his spokespeople, and providing evidence for belief in God. Skeptics argue miracles violate immutable natural laws and that evidence is always greater for regular occurrences than rare ones, but these arguments can be refuted. Believing in miracles is important to theology because
John Duns Scotus was an influential 13th century philosopher and theologian. He was born in Scotland around 1266 and ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1291. Scotus studied and taught at Oxford and Paris. His works focused on natural theology, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. For Scotus, moral truths fall into two categories: necessary truths that are self-evident based on the definition of God, and contingent truths left to God's discretion. The commandments regarding worship of God are necessary, while other commands depend solely on God's will.
This document discusses different methods used in theology and their proponents. It argues that methodology is important because it determines the conclusions reached. Naturalistic methods will inevitably lead to naturalistic conclusions, while methods open to the supernatural will not rule out supernatural conclusions. It also discusses category mistakes in applying methods from one discipline to another inappropriately. Methods must not be antisupernatural or incompatible with evangelical beliefs to be valid for theology.
This document discusses various philosophical arguments that have been used throughout history to provide rational justification for belief in God. It outlines logical proofs put forth by thinkers like Aristotle, Aquinas, Anselm, and others. It also examines criticisms of these types of arguments, noting issues like ambiguous premises, dependence on outdated scientific assumptions, and the inability of logic alone to prove empirical claims. The document aims to provide context around the development and critique of different theological proofs and approaches to reasoning about God's existence.
This document discusses Martin Heidegger's existential hermeneutic and how it leads to subjective interpretation. It examines Heidegger's emphasis on history, the darkening of the world, Greek philosophy, and the role of poetry and language. The presentation evaluates Heidegger's hermeneutic, finding it involves unfounded assumptions and is self-defeating. It also discusses Rudolf Bultmann's attempt to "demythologize" biblical texts by eliminating miracles, but finds this view is without foundation and unbiblical. Finally, it argues for the possibility of objective interpretation based on the existence of an absolute mind (God), absolute meaning, and humanity's ability to understand divine
The document contains several Bible passages from Acts, Mark, Luke, and Matthew that discuss Jesus commanding his followers to go into the world and spread the gospel message. It also contains commentary affirming faith in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross to save humanity.
The document discusses different philosophical positions on the nature of reality - pluralism, which asserts that multiple beings exist, and monism, which argues that all of reality is a single being. It states that theism would take the position of pluralism by asserting that both God and the natural world exist as separate beings. It then provides an overview of several common cosmological, teleological, ontological, moral, and anthropic arguments for the existence of God.
The document discusses the ontological argument for God's existence. It explains Anselm's version of the argument, which claims that God must exist because God is defined as the greatest being conceivable, and a being that exists in reality is greater than one that exists only in the mind. It also discusses criticisms of the argument from philosophers like Gaunilo and Kant, who argue that just because something can be conceived does not mean it exists in reality, and existence is not an attribute that can be derived from a concept alone. Students are tasked with further analyzing and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the ontological argument.
The document discusses how internalism became entrenched in philosophy due to Descartes' assumption that in a demon world, our beliefs would remain the same. For centuries after Descartes, philosophers tried to justify our beliefs about the external world by analyzing them in terms of subjective experiences. A number of philosophers, including Berkeley, Hume, and Frege, developed theories attempting to bridge the Cartesian gap between mind and world, but their theories were still framed within the Cartesian paradigm of distinguishing between subjective and objective.
Proofs for the Existence of God PowerpointARH_Miller
The document summarizes three philosophical arguments for the existence of God: the ontological, cosmological, and teleological proofs. It outlines the key premises and conclusions of each proof, and then discusses criticisms of each proof put forth by philosophers David Hume and Charles Darwin. The criticisms question whether the proofs demonstrate a logical necessity of God's existence or merely impose order through human reasoning.
This document discusses and critiques pluralism and exclusivism in religion. It defines pluralism as the belief that all religions are true, while exclusivism is the belief that only one religion is true. The document analyzes John Hick's argument that religions should be viewed equally based on their moral teachings. However, several responses note that moral behavior does not prove religious truth claims. The document concludes that pluralism's view of truth is self-defeating, as it denies any single religion could be exclusively true while claiming its own view is correct.
Baruch Spinoza developed a concept of God through his theory of substance monism. He believed that God is the only substance that exists, and all other things are modes of God. God and nature are equivalent in Spinoza's view, making his philosophy pantheistic or panentheistic. Spinoza grounds his concept of God in the first part of his work Ethics through a series of definitions, axioms, and propositions. However, his view that God is equivalent to nature is criticized by those who believe God and nature should be distinct. Leibniz also objected to Spinoza's second premise that two substances cannot share attributes.
This document discusses various perspectives on an "impersonal" or "intraobjective" experience of reality that affirms a radical solidarity between humanity and reality. It touches on concepts like panentheism, distinguishing between describing experiences versus reality itself, and references traditions like Taoism, enlightenment, and Hesychasm that speak to a similar notion of subtle or uncreated energy. The document provides caveats about humanity's limited ability to articulate such ineffable experiences and suggests they derive ultimately from a supremely personal being.
This document provides an overview of philosophy of religion. It defines philosophy of religion as the branch of philosophy that studies religion from a rational perspective, examining themes such as the existence and nature of God, religious experience, and the problem of evil. The document summarizes some of the main themes in philosophy of religion, including arguments for the existence of God, views on immortality, types of religious experience, and the nature of religious language. Philosophy of religion analyzes religious doctrines and experiences to investigate their metaphysical and epistemological implications.
This document summarizes key aspects of Benedict de Spinoza's metaphysical philosophy as presented in his work Ethics. The summary includes:
1) Spinoza argued for substance monism, that there is only one substance which is God/Nature, and all things are modes or modifications of this one substance.
2) He used various arguments like the ontological, causal, and power arguments to prove the existence of an infinite, eternal substance with all possible attributes.
3) Modes exist as states of the one substance and can be either infinite/eternal or finite/temporal.
4) Spinoza's system is one of strict determinism, where all things are fully determined
This document outlines Kant's thesis that being is not a real predicate. It discusses Kant's rejection of the ontological proof for God's existence, which tries to prove God exists from the concept of God alone. For Kant, existence does not belong to the determinateness of any concept. The document then explains some of Kant's key terminology, such as how he distinguishes between being, existence, reality, and actuality. It analyzes Kant's view that existence involves absolutely positioning a thing, rather than relating it to other things through predication. In existential assertions, the entire conceptual content is posited in relation to the object itself.
The document discusses different perspectives on describing and interpreting reality and human experiences of reality. It distinguishes between describing empirical facts versus providing interpretive frameworks, and focuses on avoiding making claims that cannot be proven or describing aspects of reality that are beyond our understanding. It also discusses distinctions between God's essence and energies, and traditions that reference subtle spiritual energies or paradigms.
Thomas Aquinas presents five arguments for the existence of God in his Summa Theologica. He considers two objections against the thesis that God exists. The five arguments are: (1) argument from motion, that whatever is in motion must be put in motion by another, requiring a first unmoved mover (God); (2) argument from efficient causes, that an infinite regress is impossible so there must be a first cause (God); (3) argument from possibility and necessity, that contingent beings require a necessary being (God) to explain their existence; (4) argument from gradation of beings, that perfection requires a maximum perfection (God); (5) argument from governance, that purposeful natural phenomena require an
The document discusses the topic of analogy as a form of religious language put forward by philosopher Thomas Aquinas. It explains that analogy consists of three parts - univocality, analogy, and equivocation. The document then provides details on Aquinas' construction of analogy and how it allows for meaningful yet imperfect discussion of God using human terms. It also discusses scholars who supported analogy and critiques of the approach before counter-arguments are provided in analogy's defense.
Is There Evidence For GodWilliam Lane Craig vs. Lawrence Krau.docxpriestmanmable
Is There Evidence For God?
William Lane Craig vs. Lawrence Krauss
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, – March 30, 2011
William Lane Craig debates Lawrence Krauss at North Carolina State University on the evidence for God.
Transcribed by T. Kurt Jaros, Roger Wasson, and Charles Huneycutt. Copyright William Lane Craig.
Introduction
Paul Newby (Moderator): Good evening! My name is Paul Newby. I am an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. I am the moderator of tonight’s debate. Campus Crusade for Christ and North Carolina State wishes to thank you for attending this evening.
Tonight you will grapple with one of the greatest questions facing mankind: the existence of God. You will hear from two experts as they debate whether there is evidence to prove the existence of God. We are fortunate enough to have two of the best and brightest minds in the country participate, Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss and Dr. William Lane Craig.
Dr. Krauss will be arguing that there is insufficient evidence to prove the existence of God. Dr. Krauss is a professor of physics at Arizona State University. He received his undergraduate degree in both mathematics and physics at Carlton University and his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He’s the author of numerous books, including a national best seller The Physics of Star Trek. Thank you, Dr. Krauss, for joining us this evening!
The other guest this evening is Dr. Craig, who will be arguing there is sufficient evidence to prove the existence of God. Dr. Craig is a professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in California. Dr. Craig received his B.A. in Communications at Wheaton College, a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham, England, and a Doctor of Theology from the University of Munich. He’s author and editor of more than thirty books. Let’s thank Dr. Craig for joining us this evening!
If you refer to your program, you will see the format of tonight’s debate. Dr. Craig will speak first for a twenty-minute introductory statement; Dr. Krauss will then have twenty minutes for his statement. Each panelist will then have a twelve-minute rebuttal, followed by an eight-minute counter-rebuttal. Each will then end with a five-minute summary. I encourage you to listen closely to the arguments presented, take notes, if necessary, because at the conclusion of the formal debate, you will serve as jurors. You will be asked to cast your vote on whether there is sufficient evidence of the existence of God. After the votes have been cast, I will then open the floor for thirty minutes of questions for our panelists.
Before we begin, I’d like to emphasize the etiquette that is expected during this debate. I anticipate that you will have strong reactions to some of the points presented tonight. However, out of respect for our panelists and other audience members, I ask that you refrain from any outbursts of support or disapproval during ...
This document contains an essay discussing the relationship between God and science. It explores whether God is necessary for the existence of the world and whether the world is necessary in itself. The essay raises philosophical questions about how to determine if something is a necessary being that exists in all possible worlds. It examines arguments that have been made for God's necessity, such as ontological arguments, and critiques them for being tautological or begging the question. The document considers different perspectives on necessity and possibility in an attempt to rigorously analyze claims about God's nature and relationship to the world.
The document discusses several philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God. It outlines the moral, ontological, cosmological, teleological, causal, and pragmatic arguments for God's existence. It also discusses empirical, subjective, and problem of evil arguments against God's existence. The problem of evil argues that the co-existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God with evil in the world is unlikely or impossible.
1. Labrecque 1
Giada Labrecque
0945860
James Specyal
November 23, 2011
Spinoza’s Conception of a Corporeal God
Throughout time, the concept and existence of god has been a consistent theme for prejudice,
hate, and war on a spectrum of magnitudes; from international opposition, to one-on-one debate. Most
inter-community convictions are not spared either, as is the case amongst the brotherhood of abstract
theorists, namely, Philosophers; skeptical and divergent with both society’s and each other’s
conceptions of god, and other abstract possibilities. In this paper, I will explore the philosophical anti-
corpus conceptions of god not belonging to, but briefly described by, Spinoza, and Spinoza’s own
suggestion of a corporeal god. After expressing my criticism of Spinoza’s argument, I offer a third
possible conception of god which challenges the human need for contrast in a way that bridges the
aforementioned views of the divine; creating a hybrid concept of god which would likely convince the
late philosophers themselves if they had the opportunity to hear it.
In his Scholium to Proposition 15, Spinoza claims that all philosophical minds before him had
not attributed a physical being to god. Rather than the composition of god as a being, pre-Spinozic
philosophers argued for, or against, notions of the possibility and existence of an all-perfect and infinite
being; as well as the goodness of said being, its creative abilities, and many other qualities and
attributes. According to Spinoza, these philosophers instinctively assumed god to be body-less and
external to the physical realm because, by definition, a “body” is limited and mortal; synonymous with
ideas of a measureable mass, quantity, and duration, and therefore could not possibly be representative
of the infiniteness of god. Furthermore, their denial of a corporeal god, whether conscious or not, was
2. Labrecque 2
supported by the widely-accepted notion that anything infinite is indivisible, inferring that it is
immeasurable, and therefore limitless; the opposite of what defines anything corporeal (Cahn).
Alternatively, Spinoza argued that god is in fact a physical being, the sole substance, by the
suggestion that one of god’s infinite attributes is “extension” (Cahn). If, however, the merit of
Spinoza’s argument for a corporeal god only stems from this vague notion of extension, then it is
hardly valid. In fact, in his Ethics, Spinoza’s proof of extension as an attribute of god does not even
exist. Instead, he indirectly associates it with the infinite power of god, which does not offer an
unquestionable link between the attribute of “extension” and a corporeal god. Therefore, “extension”
may in fact be an attribute of god, and of god’s ideas, yet it speaks no obvious truth to god’s form.
With this said, it was not believed that matter is “unworthy of divine nature”, but rather that a
“body” can only pertain to a finite piece of the infiniteness of god, rather than god’s entirety, which
includes, but is not solely comprised of, matter (Cahn). Yet Spinoza argued the body of god to exist as
the only substance, which grammatically reduces god to a limit of measurement. The better statement
of god is that god is substance, as god gives life to everything, and therefore everything is a part of god.
God can be found in every idea of god, yet is unchanging to the idea itself, just as the idea is
unchanging to god. The point of infiniteness is that it cannot add to, nor can they take away from, god.
An argument that would likely have been more acceptable, even by the science community, is
the suggestion of god as anti-matter. Supporting evidence for this hypothesis includes its intense power,
its mystique, and the satisfaction of the duality that we as abstract and symbolic beings are ever so fond
of.
If instead, for the purpose of further explanation, the “body” of god was represented by numbers,
and the abstract nature of god was in turn represented by negative numbers, then god would be the
3. Labrecque 3
equivalent to zero. It cannot be measured, because it is where everything begins, both the existing and
non-existing, and therefore nothing can be separated from it. This is because zero is infinite just as god
is, it cannot be multiplied by any amount to produce a greater number, instead, any number multiplied
by zero, becomes zero – as it is taken from a fathomable value, to an immeasurable value with no
apparent onset or explanation. Likewise, nothing can be divided from god, as everything is a finite part
of god’s infiniteness. Anything divided from god is like a shadow divided from its solid being, formless,
and otherwise non-existent.
God, like zero, is no more physical than abstract, and no more abstract than physical, it is both,
and it is also neither; it is every side of every contradiction. Like the number zero, God’s existence is
debated, questioned, and even somewhat ironic in the sense that arguing the existence of god is
somewhat like arguing the existence of mermaids, no one has ever actually experienced them without
an extension of their 5 senses, yet our conceptions of them exist in our imaginations and popular media
enough to be considered real.
Having said this, it discounts the notions that god NOT be something, such as, existing, being
corporeal, or not being corporeal; in fact, by definition, god is everywhere and everything, as god is
void of any possible contradiction. This, then, further challenges the understanding of the infinite
perfection of god, not the restricted and stubborn belief of one definition of “perfect”. As the all-perfect
being, god must be infinitely perfect; his ideas each have their own standards of their perfect creator,
and therefore, god is all those forms of perfect, with all possible attributes, including its state of being.
Since, then, Spinoza is technically an idea of god, then Spinoza’s ideas of god must also be true, to
satisfy the notion of gods perfection.
As one of the radical thinkers of history, Baruch Spinoza offers a confident criticism of the
disregard for god’s form, which, until Spinoza, had otherwise been overlooked due to the various
4. Labrecque 4
restrictions that define a “body”. Though his justification against a lack of a divine body is a strong one,
Spinoza fails to come up with a sound argument for the body of god. With such an unfinished
hypothesis, Spinoza comes up short in his defense, and so I took it upon myself to consider the
physicality of god, and offer a third view which combines the late philosophical views, and leaves no
opportunity for blind assumption. Afterall, if god is what he is meant to be, all powerful and infinite,
who are we to question god’s abilities and place restrictions only on the basis that the same restrictions
apply to our reality?
Works Cited
Cahn, Steven M., ed. "Ethics." Classics of Western Philosophy. 7th ed. N.p.: n.p., 2006. 551-95. Print.
Maitzen, Stephen. "Anselmian Atheism." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 70.1 Jan.
(2005): 225-39. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
<http://philosophy.acadiau.ca/tl_files/sites/philosophy/resources/documents/Maitzen_Anselmian_
Atheism.pdf>.
Philosophy PHDs. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP). Ed. Edward N. Zalta, Uri Nodelman,
Colin Allen, John Fischer, Ted Cohen, etc. Stanford University, 2006. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
<http://plato.stanford.edu/>.