It is said that St. Augustine had anargument for the existence of God based upon the nature of mathematics. I question weather he really sought to prove God's existence or just used that idea about math to explain the nature of God's existence? There are a couple of articles I will recomend. Since I think this argumet rests upon Platonism and most modern people can't be asked to become Platonists so they can believe in God I would rather discusss the other uses of that idea. The two publications are an article in a little creationist Newletter, Evolution News[1]. Hey it's not an article about creationism so it;s not so bad. The other is philosophical. [2]
I don't hold it as a proof of God's existence but as an educated guess as to the nature. Augustine made a brilliant move when he placed the froms in the mind of God. They became ideas. They were ideas, (the Greek word use for them is ideos from which we get our word "ideas,") but disdembodied with no mind to think them. It would never do to think of God as just another form. They had to be ideas in a mind and that mind had to be the mind of God. It gave us the advantages of Platonism without being Platonists.
So the idea is that God is not a materal thing but has real existence like Numbers do. Seven would be seven if humans did not count. Seven was seven before humans existed, but there is no physical location where seven can found.
Math is just an example, there are a couple of others. God is like the laws of physics, which are like math but with concerte effects. Art might be another example although more subjective.Ideas themselves.
I think the laws of physics would be the best analogy because they have concrete results.More immedidate ones. Math has comcrete results. Get your sums wrong in buidling a bridge and see what happens. So the idea is that God is not a materal thing but has real existence like Numbers do. Seven would be seven if humans did not coumt, Seven was seven befroe humans existed, but there is no physical location where seven can found.
For a while I went further and saw everything as a thought im the mind of God If God created all things then all things were thogihts im the mindof God at one t,e. This makes God not just the basis of reality but intrinsically reality itself.But this is just my theoretical ravimgs.
[1]Michael Egnor, "Mathematics and the God Hypothesis," Evolution News,
(August 1, 2022,)
https://evolutionnews.org/2022/08/mathematics-and-the-god-hypothesis/?fbclid=IwAR3aCXiSuMzaa74RHpWxaDHi9oNqWkaOJidvbW3Ts6tHgWKvEte64b1qhhc
[2]"Analysis of St. Agustine´s View on the Existence of God." Help me no date
https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Analysis-of-St-Agustines-View-on-the-381710
5 comments:
I think there is a sense in which we are thoughts in the mind of God, but that the thoughts have been imbued with emergent properties so that they can develop from there.
Interesting idea Kristen. If the idea in God's mind is that of impediment free agents than we can be both.
If you say God exists in the same way that the number seven does - as an abstract concept - then, as far as I can see, you are conceding God is not actually real.
The concept of God is immaterial and eternal, like the concept of the number seven.
Kristen: I think there is a sense in which we are thoughts in the mind of God, but that the thoughts have been imbued with emergent properties so that they can develop from there.
That is an interesting idea. Alternatively, the universe could be a simulation in a giant computer slowly evolving equations. From a certain point of view, both theories look the same - we are just part of some great thinking process.
Pix
Anonymous said...
PixIf you say God exists in the same way that the number seven does - as an abstract concept - then, as far as I can see, you are conceding God is not actually real.
Augustine was a Platonist so abstractions were more real for him then they are for us normal people.
The concept of God is immaterial and eternal, like the concept of the number seven.
Kristen: I think there is a sense in which we are thoughts in the mind of God, but that the thoughts have been imbued with emergent properties so that they can develop from there.
PixThat is an interesting idea. Alternatively, the universe could be a simulation in a giant computer slowly evolving equations. From a certain point of view, both theories look the same - we are just part of some great thinking process.
Pix
If the idea in God's mind is that of a real universe that changes under its own rules then this idea in God's mind would be indistinguishable from the reality we think of as sperate from God.
Pix throughs out the idea of a computer program. But whose computer? The great computer programmer the sky would be God.
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