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showrecentcomments({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.comments"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-26T10:02:47.896-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Alexander Pruss's Blog"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/feeds\/comments\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/comments\/default?alt=json-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/comments\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Alexander R Pruss"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/05989277655934827117"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"18487"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6319834220030480127"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-26T10:02:47.896-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-26T10:02:47.896-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Unknown:\n\nThat argument sounds familiar. :-) It\u0026#3..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Unknown:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat argument sounds familiar. :-) It\u0026#39;s discussed in my PSR book and in:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Ehttp:\/\/alexanderpruss.com\/papers\/LCA.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6319834220030480127"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6319834220030480127"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619449367896#c6319834220030480127","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Alexander R Pruss"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/05989277655934827117"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1231679546"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 26, 2021 at 10:02 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-2507800856532481660"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-26T09:45:57.999-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-26T09:45:57.999-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"AJ:\n\nWell, the post only argues for the conclusion..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"AJ:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWell, the post only argues for the conclusion that between any two times there are only finitely many times. Thus, between 9 and 10 am, there are only finitely many times, between 10 and 11 there are only finitely many times, etc. The argument in the post doesn\u0026#39;t show that actual infinities can\u0026#39;t exist (though that\u0026#39;s one of the options considered). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs far as this argument goes, it applies equally to the past and the future. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think actual infinities CAN exist. My current thinking is that the problem lies with causal chains that involve infinitely many causes behind an event. Such causal chains are impossible."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/9070923529978278749\/comments\/default\/2507800856532481660"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/9070923529978278749\/comments\/default\/2507800856532481660"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2008\/01\/grim-reaper-paradox.html?showComment=1619448357999#c2507800856532481660","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Alexander R Pruss"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/05989277655934827117"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2008\/01\/grim-reaper-paradox.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-9070923529978278749","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/9070923529978278749","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1231679546"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 26, 2021 at 9:45 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-2181645068086427770"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-26T09:38:18.996-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-26T09:38:18.996-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Oh, there definitely is more to alcoholic beverage..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Oh, there definitely is more to alcoholic beverages than alcohol. But is what is there worth a physical danger equivalent to a 2.4% chance of instant death, especially given the (admittedly incommensurable) aesthetic alternatives? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese days, there are so many varieties physically safer aesthetic goods available to people who can afford fine beer: prose, poetry, music, the visual arts, theater, film, video games, many varieties of food (though admittedly not all equally safe), outdoor activities (some sorts are more dangerous than others, and prudent discernment is needed; apart from the especially dangerous outdoor activities like alpinism and motorcycle riding, though, the physical health benefits are likely to outweigh the physical dangers), etc. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt\u0026#39;s interesting to think which of the types of aesthetic goods are of sufficient importance that it would be worth having a surgery with a 2.4% chance of death to remedy an inability to have an uptake of the aesthetic good in question, if one was able to have uptake of many other aesthetic goods. I doubt that a surgery with a 2.4% chance of death to correct an inability to have uptake of music would be prudent, if one was able to have uptake of the other aesthetic goods instead. (But if one lived in a time and place where very few non-musical aesthetic goods were available, the surgery might be prudent.) On the other hand, it seems to me that dangerous surgery to correct an inability to have uptake of literature would be worth it. But even in the case of literature, I think the justification would need to involve something more than the aesthetic goods as such--say, the insights into human nature that one misses out on by an inability to read novels. I think if one had the insights into the human condition apart from literature, a 2.4% of death wouldn\u0026#39;t be worth it for the ability to have update of literature, if one had the other aesthetic goods available. But that\u0026#39;s a close call, I think. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBTW, I once was talking with a grad student about alcoholic beverages, and he told me that at some point in his life he took up the drinking of wine. I asked him whether the pleasures of wine exceeded those of Coca Cola. The answer took the form: \u0026quot;No, but...\u0026quot;.  Hmm."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/2181645068086427770"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/2181645068086427770"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html?showComment=1619447898996#c2181645068086427770","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Alexander R Pruss"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/05989277655934827117"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4141493527042448668","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/4141493527042448668","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1231679546"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 26, 2021 at 9:38 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6068428386205162432"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-26T01:23:38.405-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-26T01:23:38.405-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Malik\n\nOf course we can add something to infinity...."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Malik\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course we can add something to infinity. Take the natural numbers. There are infinitely many. Then you add 0.1 and 0.999. Now we have another infinity that includes 0.1 and 0.999 as well as all the natural numbers. \u003Cbr \/\u003EIf we apply this to God, then in w1, where only He is actual, He knows infinitely many possible things. But in w2, where God actualizes X, God knows infinitely many possible things, but also the actual thing X.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6068428386205162432"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6068428386205162432"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619418218405#c6068428386205162432","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Walter Van den Acker"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16101735542155226072"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-611144992"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 26, 2021 at 1:23 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-8434467387858667875"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T21:30:35.603-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T21:30:35.603-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Though I\u0026#39;m 12 years late I have a question abo..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Though I\u0026#39;m 12 years late I have a question about this paradox. Wouldnt this also prove that the future is finite too? If actual infinities can\u0026#39;t exist then this paradox should apply to the future too right?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis paradox seems like a double-edged sword."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/9070923529978278749\/comments\/default\/8434467387858667875"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/9070923529978278749\/comments\/default\/8434467387858667875"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2008\/01\/grim-reaper-paradox.html?showComment=1619404235603#c8434467387858667875","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"AJ"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15753275436577319678"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2008\/01\/grim-reaper-paradox.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-9070923529978278749","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/9070923529978278749","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-711494385"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 9:30 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-5186874622134019656"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T21:00:02.645-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T21:00:02.645-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"I think that beer, especially Belgian beer, is a c..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I think that beer, especially Belgian beer, is a craft mediated sensory experience of the deepest complexity. I hold it second only to French and Italian cheese in this regard. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChocolate is a much smaller cultural achievement. You could include the entirety of the patissier\u0026#39;s art along with chocolate  and still not come close to the sophistication required to master a fraction of ancient art of beer making.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u0026#39;m not trying to talk you into anything, mind. But there is more to some alcoholic beverages than alcohol. I thought I should say something. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOh, and I like your blog. "},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/5186874622134019656"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/5186874622134019656"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html?showComment=1619402402645#c5186874622134019656","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Anonymous"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15995962790274900738"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4141493527042448668","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/4141493527042448668","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-996259616"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 9:00 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4080884839973031282"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:41:40.883-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:41:40.883-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"I just had a thought today about when I visited fa..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I just had a thought today about when I visited family for Thanksgiving in 2020 and saw my nephew there (2.5 years old). I was overwhelmed with a sense then that my nephew has infinite value. Indeed I feel that were someone to suggest that he has extreme but limited value, I\u0026#39;d be deeply offended at the notion. This sense of infinite value seems to be simply unlimited value. But why would persons have unlimited value rather than a tree? What does it mean to have value, limited or otherwise? What is value grounded in? What does it mean to have grounded vs ungrounded value? I\u0026#39;m still trying to work it all out, but my intuition thus far is: my computer has limited value. It allows me to do many good things, such as read Alexander Pruss\u0026#39; blog. But were it destroyed, nothing wholly unique would be lost. My nephew on the other hand has a wholly unique first person perspective that includes a unified experience persisting through time and faculties of meta-cognition, imagination, creativity, morality, choice, language, relationship, virtue, and so on, and there are qualities within these faculties that are in principle without limit."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/3638740851246276606\/comments\/default\/4080884839973031282"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/3638740851246276606\/comments\/default\/4080884839973031282"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/what-does-it-mean-for-persons-to-have.html?showComment=1619358100883#c4080884839973031282","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Benjamin Stowell"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/01319546252260646028"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/what-does-it-mean-for-persons-to-have.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3638740851246276606","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/3638740851246276606","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-944884785"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 8:41 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-7903285254665942714"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:39:05.653-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:39:05.653-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Walter,\n\n“Known to God from eternity are all his w..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Walter,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Known to God from eternity are all his works (Acts 15:18)”\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5).”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis whole assumption that you’re making is assuming that you can add something to infinity. Think about that for a second, this is also why I reject the classical Thomistic view on God’s knowledge and free will.\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don’t deny free will but instead assert that if there is a wholly ordered and deterministic world, you have to assume that any other possible worlds based upon this world (with the same mass, chemicals, and starting point) are exact replicas at base and that there would be no differences between these worlds. The only way that there can be any real differences between the worlds is IF there is some sort of free will for some agents. That will however is influenced by external realities and since the subjective experience is limited to what a person knows there is a limited amount of possible actions for the free agent to take. Either way, even if you live in a box or cage caused by your external influences you’re still free and COULD HAVE chosen otherwise."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/7903285254665942714"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/7903285254665942714"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619357945653#c7903285254665942714","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Malik"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15044945522950570623"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1639818211"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 8:39 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3540073724969845350"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:18:06.977-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:18:06.977-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"I’m asserting that when it comes to God’s knowledg..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I’m asserting that when it comes to God’s knowledge there’s no difference between a possible thing or actual thing whatsoever. \u003Cbr \/\u003EThis whole assertion assumes that God’s knowledge is contingent upon the thing in itself being actualized I’m asserting that even things that are now actual things (actual worlds even) were once just possible things and while they were just possible things they were fully known to God no different from when they were made actual. "},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/3540073724969845350"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/3540073724969845350"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619356686977#c3540073724969845350","title":""},{"rel":"related","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/1779314615917190656"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Malik"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15044945522950570623"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1639818211"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 8:18 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3439980768592119534"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:13:51.428-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T08:13:51.428-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Unknown: on the reductio: I suspect that the perso..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Unknown: on the reductio: I suspect that the person in this scenario has much too high a credence to wager rationally in the first place. Any system that prizes unreasonableness will have a credence of 0% for myself personally because of its self-refuting nature. Case in point, the wagerer has to use reason to reject reason in this case, but can simply see by reason the contradiction of that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/3791235281692232589\/comments\/default\/3439980768592119534"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/3791235281692232589\/comments\/default\/3439980768592119534"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/pascals-wager-and-decision-theory.html?showComment=1619356431428#c3439980768592119534","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Benjamin Stowell"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/01319546252260646028"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/pascals-wager-and-decision-theory.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3791235281692232589","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/3791235281692232589","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-944884785"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 8:13 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-5043404478372034991"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T07:27:58.709-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T07:27:58.709-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Unknown:\n\nI think (Pruss can correct me on this) t..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Unknown:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think (Pruss can correct me on this) that Pruss would at least deny 10. I\u0026#39;m guessing this premise is simply assuming that explanation = entailment, which seems deniable. Rather there is an additional necessary fact apart from BCCF that explains BCCF and it\u0026#39;s this supernatural fact that is the foundation of explanation for all natural facts."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/5043404478372034991"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/5043404478372034991"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619353678709#c5043404478372034991","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Benjamin Stowell"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/01319546252260646028"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-944884785"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 7:27 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-9154270715168027388"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-25T04:52:40.016-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-25T04:52:40.016-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"An argument against contingent facts:\n\n1. Suppose ..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"An argument against contingent facts:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E1. Suppose for a reductio ad absurdum that there is a big conjunction of all contingent facts (BCCF) (and so the BCCF is itself a contingent fact). [reductio premise]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E2. Every fact has an explanation. [PSR] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Therefore, the BCCF has an explanation. [from 1 and 2]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E4. If the BCCF has an explanation, then the explanation of the BCCF is either contingent or necessary. [premise]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E5. Therefore, the explanation of the BCCF is either contingent or necessary. [from 3 and 4]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E6. If the explanation of the BCCF is contingent, then the BCCF explains itself. [premise]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E7. But no contingent fact explains itself. [premise]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E8. Therefore, the explanation of the BCCF is not contingent. [from 6 and 7]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E9. Therefore, the explanation of the BCCF is necessary. [from 5 and 8]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E10.If the explanation of the BCCF is necessary, then the BCCF is necessary. [premise]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E11. Therefore, the BCCF is necessary. [from 9 and 10]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E12. Therefore, the BCCF is both contingent and necessary-i.e., both contingent and not contingent-which is absurd. [from 1 and 11]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E13. Therefore, our supposition for reductio, premise (1), is false: there is no BCCF. [from 1 through 12]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E14. Therefore, there are no contingent facts, i.e., there are only necessary facts. [from 13]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDr. Pruss, I\u0026#39;d be curious to know what\u0026#39;s your rebuttal to this argument of mine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/9154270715168027388"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/9154270715168027388"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619344360016#c9154270715168027388","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Anonymous"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/05689605016052967101"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-167560601"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 25, 2021 at 4:52 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1215503013807478710"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:50:34.326-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:50:34.326-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in your book “necessary existence” until I can figure out what ‘determinate’ and derminables is. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are some candidate examples: existence, truth, goodness, and necessity. Now, to be honest, we’ll have to expand our scope somewhat for our argument to work. In particular, it would help if we could include determinates of basic properties, such as contingent existence. Determinates of basic properties are still relatively natural-certain more so than the casual series property just considered. Moreover, causing a specific determinate is no harder than causing it’s more general determinables.“"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/1215503013807478710"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/1215503013807478710"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html?showComment=1619311834326#c1215503013807478710","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Arath55"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/07398440799143810977"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1727020672278351896","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/1727020672278351896","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-646732677"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 7:50 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6784213958173798234"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:50:25.951-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:50:25.951-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in your book “necessary existence” until I can figure out what ‘determinate’ and derminables is. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are some candidate examples: existence, truth, goodness, and necessity. Now, to be honest, we’ll have to expand our scope somewhat for our argument to work. In particular, it would help if we could include determinates of basic properties, such as contingent existence. Determinates of basic properties are still relatively natural-certain more so than the casual series property just considered. Moreover, causing a specific determinate is no harder than causing it’s more general determinables.“"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/6784213958173798234"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/6784213958173798234"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html?showComment=1619311825951#c6784213958173798234","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Arath55"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/07398440799143810977"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1727020672278351896","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/1727020672278351896","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-646732677"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 7:50 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3832582770408678669"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:49:50.616-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T19:49:50.616-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Dr. Pruss, right now I’m at a bit of a dead end in your book “necessary existence” until I can figure out what ‘determinate’ and derminables is. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere are some candidate examples: existence, truth, goodness, and necessity. Now, to be honest, we’ll have to expand our scope somewhat for our argument to work. In particular, it would help if we could include determinates of basic properties, such as contingent existence. Determinates of basic properties are still relatively natural-certain more so than the casual series property just considered. Moreover, causing a specific determinate is no harder than causing it’s more general determinables.“"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/3832582770408678669"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/1727020672278351896\/comments\/default\/3832582770408678669"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html?showComment=1619311790616#c3832582770408678669","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Arath55"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/07398440799143810977"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/more-on-doing-and-allowing.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1727020672278351896","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/1727020672278351896","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-646732677"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 7:49 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3674769145225941039"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T14:56:11.548-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T14:56:11.548-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. Pruss. I was reading your book “Necessary Exis..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Dr. Pruss. I was reading your book “Necessary Existence” and I have a question. What does determinate or determinable means here?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Here are some candidate examples: existence, truth, goodness, and necessity. Now, to be honest, we’ll have to expand our scope somewhat for our argument to work. In particular, it would help if we could include determinates of basic properties, such as contingent existence. Determinates of basic properties are still relatively natural-certain more so than the casual series property just considered. Moreover, causing a specific determinate is no harder than causing it’s more general determinables."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/3674769145225941039"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/3674769145225941039"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619294171548#c3674769145225941039","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Arath55"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/07398440799143810977"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-646732677"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 2:56 PM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-2691204153488382991"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T11:36:49.817-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T11:36:49.817-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dr. Pruss, surely one denying either that God is m..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Dr. Pruss, surely one denying either that God is metaphysically simple, atemporal, impassible, or changeless, does not mean that one has to concede that God is embodied and has a beard. "},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/2691204153488382991"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/2691204153488382991"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619282209817#c2691204153488382991","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Angelo Koprivica"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/07986117470177838654"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1057008140"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 11:36 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1779314615917190656"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T11:06:54.085-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T11:06:54.085-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Malik\n\nThere is a difference between possible thin..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Malik\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is a difference between possible things and actual things. \u003Cbr \/\u003EPossible things are necessarily possible, that means that they are possible in every possible world. Actual things, however, are not necessarily actual. \u003Cbr \/\u003ESo, God in w1 knows all possible things as well as the actual existence of X, but God in w2 knows all possible things but not the actual exitence of X (because while X is possible in w2, it doesn\u0026#39;t actually exist there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/1779314615917190656"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/1779314615917190656"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619280414085#c1779314615917190656","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Walter Van den Acker"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16101735542155226072"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-611144992"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 11:06 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4106552167669421345"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T10:07:25.247-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T10:07:25.247-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Also if a being is apparently all-knowing my quest..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Also if a being is apparently all-knowing my question would then be what could possibly happen to make that being change it’s nature? If it knows all possible things\/outcomes what thing could possibly make it change?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome new reality? There can be no ‘new’ reality for such a being."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/4106552167669421345"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/4106552167669421345"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619276845247#c4106552167669421345","title":""},{"rel":"related","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6443082974512381814"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Malik"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15044945522950570623"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1639818211"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 10:07 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-264828032873021791"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T09:52:05.389-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T09:52:05.389-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Being a ‘person’ is a statement of ‘who’ not a sta..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Being a ‘person’ is a statement of ‘who’ not a statement of change. A person changing would be them changing their nature, aka their ‘what’ not ‘who.’\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor example, when a girl goes through puberty her ‘what’ changes in certain ways, but not her ‘who.’\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAre you asserting that God goes through puberty and changes in nature?"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/264828032873021791"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/264828032873021791"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619275925389#c264828032873021791","title":""},{"rel":"related","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6443082974512381814"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Malik"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15044945522950570623"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1639818211"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 9:52 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-5428155368961189196"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T05:56:28.617-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T05:56:28.617-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Thanks for the links; it\u0026#39;s good to have data t..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Thanks for the links; it\u0026#39;s good to have data to consider. Perhaps alcohol makes liars more likely to lie, in riskier ways, and honest people more likely to be honest, when not amongst potential enemies. The benefits would arise in both cases, as liars would be more likely to be found out, and honest people would be more likely to rise above whatever social restrictions they had grown into; with most people being in between. (Your own experiences are probably quite exceptional, as would be my own.) For such reasons, I think that alcohol might have a good effect on cultural evolution over the long term, which might help to explain its position within Christianity, but which would be hard to test empirically (and about which skepticism would therefore be reasonable)."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/5428155368961189196"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4141493527042448668\/comments\/default\/5428155368961189196"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html?showComment=1619261788617#c5428155368961189196","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Martin Cooke"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11425491938517935179"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0IIKiuvihHU\/XKCQMTQh3nI\/AAAAAAACXr4\/vMeS_dwPNzESIzY9z3iJVTNVOHopnIGEwCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/00000.JPG"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/is-it-prudent-to-start-drinking-alcohol.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4141493527042448668","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/4141493527042448668","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1135458403"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 5:56 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6443082974512381814"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T05:47:18.353-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T05:47:18.353-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Changing by growing a beard would be an absurd ant..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Changing by growing a beard would be an absurd anthropomorphism, but why is changing at all an absurd anthropomorphism? And if it is, why is being a person not an absurd anthropomorphism?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIs the idea of a person who is incapable of any change whatsoever not an absurd idea? And in any case, is the concept of absurdity not a strange one to pick to play such a fundamental role, when your God is an ineffable mystery? (Furthermore, I wonder if you think that it is the ultimate ground of being not being a person that leads to skepticism, and if so why?)"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6443082974512381814"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/6443082974512381814"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619261238353#c6443082974512381814","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Martin Cooke"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11425491938517935179"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0IIKiuvihHU\/XKCQMTQh3nI\/AAAAAAACXr4\/vMeS_dwPNzESIzY9z3iJVTNVOHopnIGEwCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/00000.JPG"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1135458403"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 5:47 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-2916340351747931688"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T03:48:38.415-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T03:48:38.415-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Alex\n\nWhat if God is  His beard?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Alex\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat if God \u003Ci\u003Eis \u003C\/i\u003E His beard?"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/2916340351747931688"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/2916340351747931688"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619254118415#c2916340351747931688","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Walter Van den Acker"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16101735542155226072"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-611144992"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 3:48 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-1219054219589800674"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-24T02:33:47.107-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-24T02:33:47.107-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"https:\/\/github.com\/OneButtonDeveloper\/AndroidInfra..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"https:\/\/github.com\/OneButtonDeveloper\/AndroidInfraRed\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWould this be of any help?"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4006495246849496602\/comments\/default\/1219054219589800674"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/4006495246849496602\/comments\/default\/1219054219589800674"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2014\/09\/nostalgia-use-palm-infrared-keyboard.html?showComment=1619249627107#c1219054219589800674","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Triin"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15548105729800561209"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2014\/09\/nostalgia-use-palm-infrared-keyboard.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-4006495246849496602","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/4006495246849496602","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1971436778"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 24, 2021 at 2:33 AM"}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-7206620816743761706"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-23T17:25:31.139-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-23T17:25:31.139-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"argument for the incompatibility of divine forekno..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"argument for the incompatibility of divine foreknowledge and human freedom.\u003Cbr \/\u003Ea. The argument:\u003Cbr \/\u003E • Suppose that t is far in our future and that Socrates\u0026#39;s sitting at t is taken as a paradigmatic example of a future contingent. Then the argument goes as follows:\u2028(1) The proposition God believes that Socrates will sit at time t is true now. [assumption]\u2028(2) If a proposition p is true now, then its past-tense counterpart will always be (accidentally) necessary from now on. [principle governing which propositions share in the necessity of the past]\u2028(3) So the proposition God believed that Socrates will sit at time t will always be necessary from now on. [from (1) and (2)]\u2028(4) Now the proposition God believed that Socrates will sit at time t entails the proposition If t is the present moment, then Socrates is sitting. [premise]\u2028(5) But if (i) a proposition p will always be (accidentally) necessary from now and (ii) p entails q, then no one will ever have the power to cause q to be false. [principle relating (accidental) necessity to freedom and power]\u2028Therefore, no one (including Socrates) will ever have the power to cause If t is the present moment, then Socrates is sitting to be false; that is, no one (including Socrates) will ever have the power to cause Socrates is sitting to be false at t, and so Socrates is not free to refrain from sitting at t. [from (4) and (5)]\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut what applies to this action of Socrates\u0026#39;s obviously applies to all alleged future contingents. Therefore, divine foreknowledge is incompatible with human freedom\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPossible reply:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThomism: Deny (1) because it falsely situates God\u0026#39;s knowledge between eternity and the future; but this is not literally true since God\u0026#39;s knowledge is equally related to all moments of time. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProblem: It appears that the very same argument could use the premise It is now true that God eternally knows that Socrates sits at time t.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo which I’d reply Yes, he does.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is because God also fully knows himself and in knowing himself he knows all possibilities that can stem from his creative faculties.  This means that he DOES in fact know that Socrates will sit at time t in at least one possible world non-contingent of that happening in one of his created realities(as this knowledge was had before the creation of these realities).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf this is so then I’d argue that when things occur in reality God truly gains no knowledge, this is just a possible world of his creative faculty playing out.\u003Cbr \/\u003EModal realism within the mind of God(haha, thanks St. Augustine).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI do not necessarily have to deny free will if I hold that God is not the causal agent of human actions after creation but instead knows of all possible worlds prior to creation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis would make sense of the idea in Acts that Jesus was pre-destined to come. ““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E‭‭Acts‬ ‭2:22-23‬ ‭RSV-CI‬‬\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’d also still be able to hold the standard Dominican view that there’d be no reason for an incarnation\/crucifixion if we never fell to begin with. As under this view, God did not cause the fall but it was rather a matter of his permissive will.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPlease tell me what you think of this position. I’m a High School senior and have been into theology\/philosophy for a while now but I’ve never really posted much online about my thoughts. God bless"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/7206620816743761706"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3891434218564545511\/6336346451872357817\/comments\/default\/7206620816743761706"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html?showComment=1619216731139#c7206620816743761706","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Malik"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15044945522950570623"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$in-reply-to":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","href":"http:\/\/alexanderpruss.blogspot.com\/2021\/04\/why-i-cant-believe-in-god-other-than-of.html","ref":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6336346451872357817","source":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3891434218564545511/posts/default/6336346451872357817","type":"text/html"},"gd$extendedProperty":[{"name":"blogger.itemClass","value":"pid-1639818211"},{"name":"blogger.displayTime","value":"April 23, 2021 at 5:25 PM"}]}]}});