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Attempt at deconstructing the "rock too heavy" argument

quatona

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This is taken from this thread (I think it belongs in "Philosophy" rather than in "Physical and Life Sciences"):
http://www.christianforums.com/t7607122-23/#post59079264.
The relevant discussion starts around post #230.

I´d be glad to hear your critical opinions on my attempt at a refutation.

Here´s the argument, as presented by Naraoia (my attempt at a refutation is directed at this very presentation, but I think it is valid against the "rock too heavy" argument in general):

Naraoia said:
A rock God can't lift cannot logically exist in the same universe as a god that can do anything. Either God can lift the weight he can't lift (which is a logical contradiction) or he cannot create such a weight (which means he is not omnipotent).

Let's start with A = God is omnipotent, and put the correct letters on this one:

God is omnipotent (A). Therefore, God can create a rock he cannot lift (B). But if there is a rock God cannot lift, then God is not omnipotent. (~A)

Thus, A ==> B and B ==> ~A. Therefore, A ==> ~A.

Oops?

There is nothing "hard" about this. It is the most basic logic. An omnipotent being cannot exist in a logically consistent world.

Here´s my response:


quatona said:
When we start our considerations (be it about gods or whatever) we first have to decide whether we want this discussion, the topic and our arguments be constrained to the logically possible, or whether we allow for the illogical.
(Personally I´m all for the first, simply because the latter allows for all sorts of nonsensical assumptions and claims. On top, the fact that we typically argue with means that imply the acceptance of logic as the limiting framework - we use words like "because", "since", "hence", "either - or" etc. - doesn´t leave much doubt that this is a mutually accepted premise).

So this would be my first question to you:
Before we start our considerations, contemplations, arguments - can we agree on the premise that keep it within the limitations of logic?

1.If your answer were "no", nothing could be shown to be a contradiction - because "contradiction" is depending on logic. If we allow for the illogical there aren´t any contradictions (and your attempt to point out a contradiction would be moot): God could lift a rock he can´t lift, God could simultaneously exist and not exist etc.etc.

2. Hence I am assuming your answer is "yes": You agree with the premise that logic is the limiting framework for our consideration. This means that we don´t allow for anything illogical and also don´t expect nor postulate anything illogical.

Consequently, postulating that "omnipotence" means to be able to do the logically impossible is prevented by virtue of our premise.

-----

Now for God and rocks.
Premises:
Appeal to God´s omnipotence 1: "God can lift any rock, no matter how big or heavy".
Appeal to God´s omnipotence 2: "God can create rocks of any size and weight".

Both these claims are - although exceptional - meaningful and within the limitations of the logically possible.

Now, logic dictates that these two premises don´t allow for a rock that´s
a: created by God that or
b: that God can´t lift.

Conclusion:
Your synthesis - demanding God to be capable of creating a rock God cannot lift (i.e. to do the logically impossible) - violates our most basic premise: to keep our considerations within the logically possible.
 

Tinker Grey

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I think I'm agreeing with quatona. The definition of omnipotence is arbitrary. When I was a Christian and now that I am an atheist, I have found that defining omnipotence as the ability to do even the impossible as useless. It seems an artificial attempt to get the theist to admit that they believe in illogical stuff.

Suppose that in fact that God could do the illogical and, say, make a square circle. Could you evaluate his/her success or failure? Can you evaluate the squareness of the round circle or the roundess of the perfect square?

Evaluating what is essentially meaningless is a waste of time. Let omnipotence be the ability to do only the not-logically-impossible. If you want to argue against gods, argue whether such an omnipotence coupled with omniscience is congruent with reality.
 
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CTD

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:thumbsup:

Good work. All they can do is demonstrate one cherry-picked definition of 'omnipotence' to appear logically incoherent. That has no impact on God.

It's also an argument from incompetence.

Using their cherry-picked definition, they can't figure out a way for God to accomplish the task. Big deal. If I can figure it out, God can.

Step one: Create a rock. Any size will do - even a pebble.
Step two: Promise never to lift the rock.

It is noteworthy that the Living God is the only being capable of employing this 2-step process and meeting the challenge. Satan cannot do it, even if one posits him "omnipotent" by the same specified definition. :D ...And some would have us believe integrity antithetical to strength.
 
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Eudaimonist

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Good work, quatona. I agree.

I think that even Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) argued that omnipotence really should mean the ability to do anything logically possible, and that it was illogical to insist that it included the ability to do logically impossible things.

Geez, this was around 400 AD. I would have thought that this point would have sunk in by now.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
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Tiberius

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This is taken from this thread (I think it belongs in "Philosophy" rather than in "Physical and Life Sciences"):
http://www.christianforums.com/t7607122-23/#post59079264.
The relevant discussion starts around post #230.

I´d be glad to hear your critical opinions on my attempt at a refutation.

Here´s the argument, as presented by Naraoia (my attempt at a refutation is directed at this very presentation, but I think it is valid against the "rock too heavy" argument in general):



Here´s my response:

I've got my own thread about this (well, based on whether God can do things that are logically impossible, but I use the heavy rock as an example).

My solution is that God can create a rock that is too heavy for him to lift, but he can lift it anyway.

of course, this requires that God can do the logically impossible. However, I think that the Christian God would be able to do things that are logically impossible, simply because if he could not do things that are logically impossible, then he would have limits to what he can do. And God is supposed to be unlimited and infinite, right?

Anyway, if the laws of logic were around before God, then we have proof that God didn't create everything.

If the laws of logic came into existence AFTER God was around, then God was around before logic, and thus wouldn't have been bound by logic before logic was around. And that means that God lost some of his abilities the second logic came into existence. Again, why would you called this reduced entity a god?

So I really doubt that God would be bound by logic.

Your claim in your response:

"we first have to decide whether we want this discussion, the topic and our arguments be constrained to the logically possible, or whether we allow for the illogical.
(Personally I´m all for the first, simply because the latter allows for all sorts of nonsensical assumptions and claims. On top, the fact that we typically argue with means that imply the acceptance of logic as the limiting framework - we use words like "because", "since", "hence", "either - or" etc. - doesn´t leave much doubt that this is a mutually accepted premise)."​

Seems to me like you are just arbitrarily accepting that we are going to limit the discussion to the logically possible, and in a discussion about whether God can do the logically IMpossible, that sounds troublesome. In essence, you are saying, "If we assume that God doesn't do the logically impossible, then we can show that God doesn't do the logically impossible. Therefore, God doesn't do the logically impossible."

And the only reason that you provide to take that particular position is that to take the other position would be troublesome. But bear in mind that you are a human who IS bound by logic, so of course it would be troublesome. But if God is not bound by logic, then it wouldn't be troublesome to him whatsoever.

In the end, aren't you just limiting God to logic in order to show that he's limited to logic?
 
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IndieVisible

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I think the rock question over looks the God question.

A rock is a 3 dimensional thing.

GOD is beyond all dimensions and things. What is God? Answer that first!

So the question really addresses God as a person to attributes we assign him or expect. We expect the answer to be as neat and clear as if God was a person.

The question fails on grounds it does not address GOD at the GOD level.
 
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Eudaimonist

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The question fails on grounds it does not address GOD at the GOD level.

The thing is, it is absurd to think that even "GOD" is beyond the law of non-contradiction, which does not necessarily apply only to "three dimensional things" or "persons". The law of non-contradiction isn't a principle in physics, but in logic.

Incidentally, the burden of showing that "GOD" is not exempt from the law of non-contradiction falls on you. This is a universal principle, and if you think that "GOD" is an exception, it's up to you to explain how.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
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IndieVisible

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The thing is, it is absurd to think that even "GOD" is beyond the law of non-contradiction, which does not necessarily apply only to "three dimensional things" or "persons". The law of non-contradiction isn't a principle in physics, but in logic.

Incidentally, the burden of showing that "GOD" is not exempt from the law of non-contradiction falls on you. This is a universal principle, and if you think that "GOD" is an exception, it's up to you to explain how.


eudaimonia,

Mark

But I did not ask if God can create a rock heavier then he can lift, please note *rock* *heavier* *he* *lift* all are HUMAN attributes, yet I thought we were talking about God.

So it is up to YOU to explain to us how human attributes can pertain to GOD.
 
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quatona

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I've got my own thread about this (well, based on whether God can do things that are logically impossible, but I use the heavy rock as an example).

My solution is that God can create a rock that is too heavy for him to lift, but he can lift it anyway.

If I remember correctly, that´s the very solution I myself offered in your thread, as well. And also in my response to Naroia.



So I really doubt that God would be bound by logic.

Your claim in your response:

"we first have to decide whether we want this discussion, the topic and our arguments be constrained to the logically possible, or whether we allow for the illogical.
(Personally I´m all for the first, simply because the latter allows for all sorts of nonsensical assumptions and claims. On top, the fact that we typically argue with means that imply the acceptance of logic as the limiting framework - we use words like "because", "since", "hence", "either - or" etc. - doesn´t leave much doubt that this is a mutually accepted premise)."​

Seems to me like you are just arbitrarily accepting that we are going to limit the discussion to the logically possible, and in a discussion about whether God can do the logically IMpossible, that sounds troublesome. In essence, you are saying, "If we assume that God doesn't do the logically impossible, then we can show that God doesn't do the logically impossible. Therefore, God doesn't do the logically impossible."
No, that´s not quite right, I think.
In the following paragraph I (briefly, though) discussed the alternative:
1.If your answer were "no", nothing could be shown to be a contradiction - because "contradiction" is depending on logic. If we allow for the illogical there aren´t any contradictions (and your attempt to point out a contradiction would be moot): God could lift a rock he can´t lift, God could simultaneously exist and not exist etc.etc.
I didn´t offer that option just for rhethorical purposes.
However, I am not sure that anyone who picks this option has really thought through the consequences.
For me, it´s not so much about what "God is bound by", but whether we really want to suspend logic in our considerations and discussions. Do we really consider "logic" to be a limitation? Personally, I don´t.
Once we allow the logically impossible to be part of that which has to be considered possible, our considerations have lost any ground - simply because logic is the axiomatic framework of our thinking.
Once we allow the logically impossible to be part of that which has to be considered possible, we must suspend logic altogether. Any meaningful discussion of "God" would immediately be obsolete, any nonsense could be claimed.
If you really decide you want to go down that route, I must wonder why you even attempt to make your arguments in questions concerning God look logical. A logical chain is as strong as its weakest link - hence, once I have to expect illogicality to be the solution, I won´t even bother for the rest of the chain to be logical.
In short: If you want to be the logically impossible to be included in that which we consider possible, let´s start talking nonsense right away. :)


And the only reason that you provide to take that particular position is that to take the other position would be troublesome. But bear in mind that you are a human who IS bound by logic, so of course it would be troublesome. But if God is not bound by logic, then it wouldn't be troublesome to him whatsoever.
Well, "troublesome" doesn´t appear to cover the depth of the consequences.
On the other hand, I could easily celebrate the liberation that comes with the license to talk nonsense.
But again, your paragraph appears to be the attempt at being logical - and I really have to wonder why you even bother to make logical sense, considering that the result will be "in these discussions we needn´t make logical sense".
Is there really a point in trying to use logic to show that logic can be suspended?

In the end, aren't you just limiting God to logic in order to show that he's limited to logic?
No - I clearly did offer the alternative.
But: once we base our considerations and discussions on this alternative we can immediately stop any meaningful discussion, declare apologetics pointless and go home. It even becomes possible that God exists and exists not simultaneously - personally, I have no idea what that might possibly mean, but ok.
 
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Eudaimonist

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But I did not ask if God can create a rock heavier then he can lift, please note *rock* *heavier* *he* *lift* all are HUMAN attributes, yet I thought we were talking about God.

So it is up to YOU to explain to us how human attributes can pertain to GOD.

So, human beings are more powerful than GOD? We can lift things, and God is impotent to lift anything? Awesome!

But I don't think that anyone was thinking of human-style lifting of objects. Considering that God can supposedly create whole universes, it would be trivial for him to find a way to lift an object that wouldn't involve using arms. I'll leave explaining how to you.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
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quatona

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But I did not ask if God can create a rock heavier then he can lift, please note *rock* *heavier* *he* *lift* all are HUMAN attributes, yet I thought we were talking about God.
All concepts, words and attributes we could possibly employ are human.
Thus, I would expect you to hold this against anyone who makes any claim whatsoever concerning God.

So it is up to YOU to explain to us how human attributes can pertain to GOD.
As long as no theist shows up to make any (human) statement about "GOD" I won´t even start to consider such ideas. So I really fail to see how this is MY problem.
 
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Tiberius

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If I remember correctly, that´s the very solution I myself offered in your thread, as well. And also in my response to Naroia.

Great minds. :D

I didn´t offer that option just for rhethorical purposes.

My bad, I missed that. Should read more carefully.

Once we allow the logically impossible to be part of that which has to be considered possible, our considerations have lost any ground - simply because logic is the axiomatic framework of our thinking.

Once we allow the logically impossible to be part of that which has to be considered possible, we must suspend logic altogether. Any meaningful discussion of "God" would immediately be obsolete, any nonsense could be claimed.

If you really decide you want to go down that route, I must wonder why you even attempt to make your arguments in questions concerning God look logical. A logical chain is as strong as its weakest link - hence, once I have to expect illogicality to be the solution, I won´t even bother for the rest of the chain to be logical.

In short: If you want to be the logically impossible to be included in that which we consider possible, let´s start talking nonsense right away. :)

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should suddenly start thinking, "Aardvarks, therefore God did X" or anything.

I'm just saying that if we are to hypothetically accept the existence of God as described in the Bible, then we cannot make any objections to something he did simply because they are logically impossible.

For instance, I could claim that Jesus could not feed thousands of people with two loaves of bread in such a way as to leave each person feeling satisfied. That would be an objection based on a logical impossibility. But since God (and therefore, Jesus, presumably) is not bound by logic and can therefore do logically impossible things, we cannot object to this claim on those grounds (if we are accepting the existence of Jesus, that is). We can however, reject such a claim on the grounds that it is not mentioned in any other source.
 
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quatona

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Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should suddenly start thinking, "Aardvarks, therefore God did X" or anything.
No, I certainly didn´t mean to put words in your mouth.
However the implication of accepting the logically impossible that we can say such things without them being disputable.

I'm just saying that if we are to hypothetically accept the existence of God as described in the Bible, then we cannot make any objections to something he did simply because they are logically impossible.
Yes, sure - and this has implications and consequences. Any nonsensical claim can be made (with reference to the premise that it isn´t necessarily nonsensical from God´s perspective), and we have no grounds whatsoever to even only question it.

For instance, I could claim that Jesus could not feed thousands of people with two loaves of bread in such a way as to leave each person feeling satisfied. That would be an objection based on a logical impossibility.
No, sorry that I have to object here: This is not an objection based on "a logical impossibility" - it´s an objection based on a physical impossibility.
That´s a really great difference.
But since God (and therefore, Jesus, presumably) is not bound by logic and can therefore do logically impossible things, we cannot object to this claim on those grounds (if we are accepting the existence of Jesus, that is).
Yes, by doing so we give everyone the license to talk nonsense without it being called nonsense.
Sorry, but I don´t want to go down that road. Even more so, I don´t want to do all efforts to make logically consistent arguments when in the end nonsense is permitted to shoot them down, anyway).
 
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GrowingSmaller

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Maybe on a tangent, but couldn't you turn the ontological argument on its head and "prove" that since we can conceive of a rock so heavy that god can't lift it that such a maximally heavy rock must exist?
It is perhaps the "perfect rock" for atheists to talk about. But that may well be meaningless word games, eh?
 
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Tiberius

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No, I certainly didn´t mean to put words in your mouth.
However the implication of accepting the logically impossible that we can say such things without them being disputable.

I never meant to imply that you were. I never thought you were, at any rate.

However, if we start saying such things, then they are meaningless, and there's not much point in saying them. So we might as well not.

Yes, sure - and this has implications and consequences. Any nonsensical claim can be made (with reference to the premise that it isn´t necessarily nonsensical from God´s perspective), and we have no grounds whatsoever to even only question it.

But as said before, if the claim carries no meaning, then there's no point in making it.

So we can say, "Purple quickly to loud the entropy desk" to make some claim about God, and who knows, it might even be true. But since it tells us nothing of any use, such a claim makes no difference to us at all. But saying, "Jesus took seven loaves, and gave two each to his twelve disciples, and not one was left over, and all were used, and more were not wanted," then we can accept it as being something which is possible for Jesus to do, even though it is not possible for us to do it.

No, sorry that I have to object here: This is not an objection based on "a logical impossibility" - it´s an objection based on a physical impossibility.
That´s a really great difference.

Fair point, but it was just an example.

We could say that even though God hardened Pharaoh's heart, the hardening of the heart was caused by Pharaoh, not God. God is causing something, but at the same time, he is not the cause of it.

Yes, by doing so we give everyone the license to talk nonsense without it being called nonsense.

As I said before, only when the claim carries meaning, even if the conclusion doesn't logically follow from the premises.

Sorry, but I don´t want to go down that road. Even more so, I don´t want to do all efforts to make logically consistent arguments when in the end nonsense is permitted to shoot them down, anyway).

Then we are getting to the point where we discount logical impossibilities as being possible for God simply because we don't want to deal with them.
 
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Maybe on a tangent, but couldn't you turn the ontological argument on its head and "prove" that since we can conceive of a rock so heavy that god can't lift it that such a maximally heavy rock must exist?

That's great! :thumbsup:

GrowingSmaller said:
It is perhaps the "perfect rock" for atheists to talk about. But that may well be meaningless word games, eh?

Just as meaningless as Anselm's argument, I suppose, which I agree is meaningless.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
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