Phil101 UD Rogers Test 2
God and the laws of morality (The Euthyphro dilemma) - ✔️✔️God is perfect
Goodness, and all value is a reflection of His nature.
• Does God conform to an external order of morality or value?
• Does God invent morality or value? (Divine Command Theory)
• No and NO!!! Why no? - ✔️✔️• If He conformed to them, then He'd be limited by
them.
• If He invented them,
o morality would be arbitrary, which is almost unthinkable.
o He would transcend them and "good" would mean only "what God says", I.e. it would
be an empty term.
Omniscient - ✔️✔️God knows past, present, and FUTURE
Most of what you believe, you believe based on - ✔️✔️the testimony of others
Accepting things on "faith" means you - ✔️✔️run an epistemic risk of being mistaken
St. Augustine argues that, while it's bad to hold a belief that's false, it's also bad -
✔️✔️to fail to hold a belief that's true
"What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?" Better to just have faith and not
philosophize about it? Our medieval guys respond.... - ✔️✔️Religion needs philosophy
Religion needs philosophy detials - ✔️✔️• You are commanded to love God and you
cannot love what you do not know.
• Faith without philosophy can be weakened God and you cannot love what you do not
know.
• St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas both hold that the tenets of the Christian faith
and what reason can prove must ultimately be - ✔️✔️in harmony
Why say god is perfect and unlimited (philosophical reasons) - ✔️✔️1. This is what
(some of) the proofs prove.
2. If god is the source of all, then He must transcend the limitations of what He has
made.
Why say god is perfect and unlimited (religious reasons) - ✔️✔️suppose we say that
God is imperfect and limited? Then we can think of a better being - one that is perfect
and unlimited - in which case the less than perfect "god" is not worthy of worship.
,How many gods can there be at the most? - ✔️✔️Only one- if there were two they'd
limit each other:
o 1. If there were two, either they'd have power over each other or they wouldn't.
o 2. If they have power over each other they're limited.
o 3. If they don't have power over each other they're limited.
o Therefore, there can be only one.
Two characteristics of God - ✔️✔️immutable (unchanging) & omnipotent
"Omnipotence" definition according to our medical guys - ✔️✔️"The ability to do
anything logically possible for a perfect and unlimited being to do."
Law of Non-contradiction - ✔️✔️~(A&~A)
It is not the case that A and not-A in the same way at the same time.
(God can't do the logically impossible)
Is Augustine more Platonic or Aristotelian? - ✔️✔️__philosopher__ is more Platonic
Is Aquinas more Platonic or Aristotelian? - ✔️✔️__philosopher__ is more Aristotelian
Medieval philosophy is a synthesis of - ✔️✔️Greek Philosophy and Biblical Revelation
Isn't there something intellectually suspicious about accepting some things on faith? Our
medieval guys respond... - ✔️✔️• Many truths "of faith" can be proved by reason for
those who have the time and the talent. E.g. There is a God.
• Many of your most important and practical beliefs are held on faith. (The testimony of
others.) It would be irrational to abandon them.
St. Augustine's Example of something you believe on faith. - ✔️✔️Knowing your
parents are your parents
What is the relationship between God and the laws of logic? - ✔️✔️• Logic is the rules
for how to think properly about how reality is.
• Reality is made by God and is a reflection of the nature of God.
• So the laws of logic are grounded in the nature of God
Why can't God conform to laws of logic? - ✔️✔️He would be limited to them.
Why can't god invent laws of logic? - ✔️✔️If He invented them, logic would be arbitrary,
which is unthinkable! (o He would transcend them, and we could not say or think
anything meaningful about Him.)
, God can't do it! God can't do anything __________ - ✔️✔️for which being limited is
essential.
can god sin? - ✔️✔️No! God is perfectly, necessarily, GOOD!
Eternal - ✔️✔️• Everlasting - God has always existed and will always exist.
• Atemporal (really eternal!) - God is "outside" of time. All times, what we call past,
present, and future, are just "there" for God.
Necessary - ✔️✔️It is god's very nature to exist. His existence is His essence.
God is NOT a contingent being, what is a contingent being? - ✔️✔️o Happen to exist.
o Might fail to exist.
o Can be conceived of as not existing. (you can imagine a world without it)
o Need a cause.
Creator - ✔️✔️• God actually brings things into being...not like the Unmoved Mover.
Why does god create? - ✔️✔️out of love
How does god create? - ✔️✔️Ex nihilo (out of nothing). by thinking
When does god create? - ✔️✔️Right now! (God is sustaining everything in being from
moment to moment.)
If everything is immediately caused by God, does this mean that the kinds of causes
that science talks about are really just an illusion? - ✔️✔️NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!
Science works!
Primary causation - ✔️✔️God's keeping everything in being.
Secondary Causation - ✔️✔️Created objects exercising their causal powers.
Personal - ✔️✔️God's a person, I.e. a thinking mind, and an agent who chooses.
god is providential - ✔️✔️He takes an interest in and has a plan for each of us.
Probably the most important Christian Philosopher - ✔️✔️St. Augustine
St. Augustine addresses all sorts of crucial questions including and especially... -
✔️✔️The problem of evil
Fundamentalism is a child of the - ✔️✔️Protestant Reformation.
God and the laws of morality (The Euthyphro dilemma) - ✔️✔️God is perfect
Goodness, and all value is a reflection of His nature.
• Does God conform to an external order of morality or value?
• Does God invent morality or value? (Divine Command Theory)
• No and NO!!! Why no? - ✔️✔️• If He conformed to them, then He'd be limited by
them.
• If He invented them,
o morality would be arbitrary, which is almost unthinkable.
o He would transcend them and "good" would mean only "what God says", I.e. it would
be an empty term.
Omniscient - ✔️✔️God knows past, present, and FUTURE
Most of what you believe, you believe based on - ✔️✔️the testimony of others
Accepting things on "faith" means you - ✔️✔️run an epistemic risk of being mistaken
St. Augustine argues that, while it's bad to hold a belief that's false, it's also bad -
✔️✔️to fail to hold a belief that's true
"What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?" Better to just have faith and not
philosophize about it? Our medieval guys respond.... - ✔️✔️Religion needs philosophy
Religion needs philosophy detials - ✔️✔️• You are commanded to love God and you
cannot love what you do not know.
• Faith without philosophy can be weakened God and you cannot love what you do not
know.
• St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas both hold that the tenets of the Christian faith
and what reason can prove must ultimately be - ✔️✔️in harmony
Why say god is perfect and unlimited (philosophical reasons) - ✔️✔️1. This is what
(some of) the proofs prove.
2. If god is the source of all, then He must transcend the limitations of what He has
made.
Why say god is perfect and unlimited (religious reasons) - ✔️✔️suppose we say that
God is imperfect and limited? Then we can think of a better being - one that is perfect
and unlimited - in which case the less than perfect "god" is not worthy of worship.
,How many gods can there be at the most? - ✔️✔️Only one- if there were two they'd
limit each other:
o 1. If there were two, either they'd have power over each other or they wouldn't.
o 2. If they have power over each other they're limited.
o 3. If they don't have power over each other they're limited.
o Therefore, there can be only one.
Two characteristics of God - ✔️✔️immutable (unchanging) & omnipotent
"Omnipotence" definition according to our medical guys - ✔️✔️"The ability to do
anything logically possible for a perfect and unlimited being to do."
Law of Non-contradiction - ✔️✔️~(A&~A)
It is not the case that A and not-A in the same way at the same time.
(God can't do the logically impossible)
Is Augustine more Platonic or Aristotelian? - ✔️✔️__philosopher__ is more Platonic
Is Aquinas more Platonic or Aristotelian? - ✔️✔️__philosopher__ is more Aristotelian
Medieval philosophy is a synthesis of - ✔️✔️Greek Philosophy and Biblical Revelation
Isn't there something intellectually suspicious about accepting some things on faith? Our
medieval guys respond... - ✔️✔️• Many truths "of faith" can be proved by reason for
those who have the time and the talent. E.g. There is a God.
• Many of your most important and practical beliefs are held on faith. (The testimony of
others.) It would be irrational to abandon them.
St. Augustine's Example of something you believe on faith. - ✔️✔️Knowing your
parents are your parents
What is the relationship between God and the laws of logic? - ✔️✔️• Logic is the rules
for how to think properly about how reality is.
• Reality is made by God and is a reflection of the nature of God.
• So the laws of logic are grounded in the nature of God
Why can't God conform to laws of logic? - ✔️✔️He would be limited to them.
Why can't god invent laws of logic? - ✔️✔️If He invented them, logic would be arbitrary,
which is unthinkable! (o He would transcend them, and we could not say or think
anything meaningful about Him.)
, God can't do it! God can't do anything __________ - ✔️✔️for which being limited is
essential.
can god sin? - ✔️✔️No! God is perfectly, necessarily, GOOD!
Eternal - ✔️✔️• Everlasting - God has always existed and will always exist.
• Atemporal (really eternal!) - God is "outside" of time. All times, what we call past,
present, and future, are just "there" for God.
Necessary - ✔️✔️It is god's very nature to exist. His existence is His essence.
God is NOT a contingent being, what is a contingent being? - ✔️✔️o Happen to exist.
o Might fail to exist.
o Can be conceived of as not existing. (you can imagine a world without it)
o Need a cause.
Creator - ✔️✔️• God actually brings things into being...not like the Unmoved Mover.
Why does god create? - ✔️✔️out of love
How does god create? - ✔️✔️Ex nihilo (out of nothing). by thinking
When does god create? - ✔️✔️Right now! (God is sustaining everything in being from
moment to moment.)
If everything is immediately caused by God, does this mean that the kinds of causes
that science talks about are really just an illusion? - ✔️✔️NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!
Science works!
Primary causation - ✔️✔️God's keeping everything in being.
Secondary Causation - ✔️✔️Created objects exercising their causal powers.
Personal - ✔️✔️God's a person, I.e. a thinking mind, and an agent who chooses.
god is providential - ✔️✔️He takes an interest in and has a plan for each of us.
Probably the most important Christian Philosopher - ✔️✔️St. Augustine
St. Augustine addresses all sorts of crucial questions including and especially... -
✔️✔️The problem of evil
Fundamentalism is a child of the - ✔️✔️Protestant Reformation.
