Episode 42, The Nature or Attributes of God (Part I - Omnipotence)
The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane
4.8 • 604 Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2018
⏱️ 87 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For religious believers, considering the questions that surround the nature or attributes of God, is important in their attempt to form a coherent understanding of their creator.
In the Summa Theologica, shortly after arguing for the existence of God, Saint Thomas Aquinas writes the following: “Having recognised that a certain thing exists, we have still to investigate the way in which it exists, that we may come to understand what it is that exists.” This seems like a peculiar thing to state. I know that there exists something, but I have no idea as to what this thing is. As Brian Davies points out in his book Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology, this not such an odd statement after all. Suppose I attempt to open a door, and something stops it from opening. I might say, ‘well something is certainly in the way’. If it makes sense to make this statement, it also makes sense to ask, 'what is it'?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | For religious believers, considering the questions that surround the nature or attributes of God |
| 0:12.0 | is important in their attempt to form a coherent understanding of their Creator. |
| 0:16.0 | In the Sumer Theologica, shortly after arguing for the existence of God, St. Thomas Aquinas |
| 0:21.6 | writes the following. Having recognized that a certain thing exists, we have still to investigate |
| 0:27.0 | the way in which it exists, that we may come to understand what it is that exists. This seems |
| 0:34.0 | like a peculiar thing to state. I know that there exists something, but I have no idea as to what this thing is. |
| 0:39.3 | As Brian Davis points out in his book, Philosophy of Religion, a guide in anthology, |
| 0:44.3 | this is not such an odd statement after all. |
| 0:47.3 | Suppose I attempt to open a door, and something stops it from opening. |
| 0:50.3 | I might say, well, something is certainly in the way. |
| 0:53.3 | If it makes sense to make the statement, it also makes sense, well, something is certainly in the way. If it makes sense |
| 0:54.8 | to make the statement, it also makes sense to ask, what is it? |
| 0:59.4 | Theists agnostics and atheists alike engage in this field of philosophy, pursuing questions |
| 1:04.5 | concerning God's power. If God is so powerful, can he create a stone which he cannot lift? |
| 1:09.8 | His knowledge, if God knows what I will freely |
| 1:11.8 | do tomorrow, does this mean that my actions are not truly free? And his relation to space and time? |
| 1:17.5 | Is God inside or outside of time and space? And finally, his goodness. Can we be judged if we are not |
| 1:23.4 | free? And if God's so loving, why is there so much misery and suffering in the world? |
| 1:28.4 | In part one, we're going to be looking at God's omnipotence, in part two, omniscience, free will |
| 1:33.5 | and time. Part three, omnibenevolence, and finally in part four, will be engaging in some |
| 1:39.3 | further analyses and discussion. |
| 1:55.5 | Thank you. analysis and discussion. Hello and welcome to episode 42 of the PanpsiCast. |
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