Nature/Attributes of God

• What is the focus of the topic on the Nature or Attributes of God?

  It examines whether the concept of God makes sense.
• What attributes are traditionally associated with the concept of God?

  Omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient.
• What does the coherence of the concept of God depend on?

  It depends on the consistency of God's attributes.
• What is Descartes' view on God's omnipotence?

  God can do anything, even the logically impossible.
• How does Descartes view the relationship between logic and God?

  Logic depends on God and emanates from Him.
• What is a criticism of voluntarism regarding logical necessity?

  It undermines the concept of logical impossibility.
• What does Aquinas argue about the definition of omnipotence?

  It is the ability to do any logically possible thing.
• According to Aquinas, why can't God create logically impossible things?

  Because they are not feasible or possible things.
• What is the paradox of the stone in relation to omnipotence?

  Can God create a stone He cannot lift?
• How does Mavrodes defend Aquinas against the paradox of the stone?

  He argues the stone is logically self-contradictory.
• What is the concept of self-imposed limitation regarding God's omnipotence?

  God limits His power by His own choice.
• Why might God choose to self-limit His power?

  To maintain a logically consistent and orderly universe.
• What is the voluntarist critique of self-imposed limitation?

  It argues that omnipotence includes doing the logically impossible.
• What dilemma does Boethius address regarding divine foreknowledge?

  How can God know our actions and we still have free will?
• What solution does Boethius propose for the conflict between omniscience and free will?

  God is eternal and sees all time simultaneously.
• How does Boethius differentiate between simple and conditional necessity?

  Conditional necessity depends on choices made.
• What is Anselm's view on God's relationship to time?

  God is not in time, but all time is in Him.
• How does Anselm's four-dimensionalism relate to God's omniscience?

  All moments of time exist in God's eternal present.
• What does Anselm mean by eternity containing all time and space?

  Eternity encompasses all moments and events simultaneously.
• How does Anselm address the omniscience-free will-omnibenevolence issue?

  Events within time are not fixed but simultaneous in eternity.
• Who stated, “Just as the present time contains all place and whatever is in any place, in the same way the eternal present encloses all time and whatever exists in any time?”

  Anselm
• What does Anselm claim about dimensions?

  A dimension contains lower dimensions within it
• How is three-dimensional space related to four-dimensional moments according to Anselm?

  Three-dimensional space is contained within four-dimensional moments
• Where does all time and everything in time exist according to Anselm?

  Within God’s eternal present
• How does Anselm address the issue of omniscience and free will?

  He claims future actions are not fixed in time
• What does Anselm mean by “that which in eternity cannot be changed, is changeable by free will at some time before it exists?”

  Future actions are changeable in time
• Why does Anselm believe God learns our future actions?

  Because God exists simultaneously with them in eternity
• What is the implication of Anselm's view on God's knowledge of future actions?

  God always knows future actions in eternity
• How does Anselm's view relate to the concept of the Trinity?

  It parallels the eternal existence of Christ
• What is Anthony Kenny's critique of the eternal view?

  He claims all events happen simultaneously for God
• What does Kenny argue about causal relations between events?

  There is a sequence between events within time
• How does Anselm differentiate between types of simultaneity?

  He distinguishes between temporal and eternal simultaneity
• What is temporal simultaneity?

  Simultaneity within time
• What is eternal simultaneity?

  Simultaneity within eternity
• How does Anselm's view resolve the issue of temporal distinctions?

  It maintains distinctness while asserting eternal simultaneity
• What does Anselm argue about temporally distinct events?

  They are contained within eternity
• What is Swinburne's view on God's existence in relation to time?

  God exists within time
• How does Swinburne describe God's knowledge of the future?

  God knows logically possible choices, not actual choices
• What is Aquinas's argument regarding prayer and divine decree?

  Prayer does not change divine decree
• What does Aquinas claim about the purpose of prayer?

  To feel closer to God and gain benefits