• SethRy
    152
    When the intellects contemplate God's essence, their apprehension turns to incapacity.
    —Moses Maimonides

    Aristotelian and Philosopher Maimonides proposed a theory as a counterargument against rising concerns regarding theistic Apologetics. Comprising of the issue against to anthropomorphize God, which raises tendencies of having to define God, and subsequently, having to present that as a foundation for finding out whether God does exists or not.

    Attributes, Maimonides argues, are either Accidental or Essential. God cannot have accidental attributes, for he is unchanging, likewise God cannot have essential attributes, for he is undefinable. After constant thought, where I am certain not to pioneer of, this theory consist of logical inconsistencies and defectives. When we are using linguistic adjectives to say God is undefinable, paradoxically, that is defining him.

    Maimonides, adds more into this by beginning from the sentence; God is a creator. We are describing what God does, rather than what he is. Like energy, it is about what it does, rather than what it essentially is. Remarkably, another issue that arise from there is that; God does have accidental attributes, which supposedly, having to create Adam. Furthermore, he also has essential attributes; like having to be omniscient or omnipotent.

    Maimonides strongly counter argues that it is of tendencies rather than certainty. These descriptions of God are only negotiations for us to develop an approximation of what God really us, provided that the bible leaves God as a vague, undefinable existence beyond our contingent understanding.

    This is not to justify or disprove God's existence, but rather to evaluate Maimonides theory of Necessary attribution — does God have essential or accidental attributes?
  • alan1000
    200
    There are actually some interesting points raised here. Can God have accidental properties? Well, clearly, God COULD have created Eve first, rather than Adam, which would be an accidental event (in the philosophical sense of the term "accidental").

    Presumably it is an essential attribute of God that She or He is, at least, a more powerful being than any existent being. Otherwise there is no point in "worshipping" him or her.
  • Gnostic Christian Bishop
    1.4k
    Presumably it is an essential attribute of God that She or He is, at least, a more powerful being than any existent being.alan1000

    That depend how you define power.

    In some terms, like reproduction, man is better and more powerful than god as we can reproduce many true offspring while god can only reproduce one half breed chimera after cuckolding Joseph.

    Strange that an all powerful god became a deadbeat dad, who dropped his bundle off for others to care for.

    Also, for an omni everything god, he is sure incompetent.

    He screwed up heaven with Satan. Screwed up Eden with the talking serpent. Had to use genocide to reboot everything after Noah and still fucked up so bad he had to have his only son murdered.

    Yahweh is quite the loser and an immoral prick.

    Regards
    DL
  • SethRy
    152


    Accidental as in attributes that are only sufficient by definition. Not literal accidents. And as Maimonides portrays, approximation by worldly evidence cannot define godly existences - so is essence a significant thing for a god?
bold
italic
underline
strike
code
quote
ulist
image
url
mention
reveal
youtube
tweet
Add a Comment

Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!

Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.