Many people want a universal standard of truth. There are a few people who are content with relativism where personal ideology leads to personal truth for every individual. But most people want some standard of morals that everyone in society should abide by. Religion provides a basis for morality for many people. However, there are others who are unsatisfied with religion: they see belief in a deity as arbitrary, which means that there is no real universal standard found in religion, only personal beliefs. These people may be atheists or agnostics, or they may even be religious but feel uncomfortable with holding other people to their standards. As such, they must appeal to a different universal source of truth: reason and logic.
What is reason? There are two types: deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning starts with two premises and reaches a conclusion following laws of logic. For example:
All dogs have three legs. (Premise 1)
Henry is a dog. (Premise 2)
Therefore, Henry has three legs. (Conclusion)
Notice that deductive reasoning is only as good as its premises. In the example, the reasoning is valid (the conclusion follows the premises) but the conclusion is false because one of the premises is false (since most dogs have four legs). To be assured that a conclusion is true, it must be established that the premises are true. Sometimes, a premise can be shown to be true by deductive reasoning. But that only results in two more premises which will have to be verified in turn. Ultimately, there will have to be at least two premises whose truth is verified by some other means otherwise deductive reasoning will be based on unverified premises.
The other type of reasoning is inductive. With this type of reasoning, a conclusion drawn from one or multiple objects or events is extrapolated to all objects and events. Inductive reasoning is frequently used in science where observations are made in the laboratory and the results are extrapolated to events that take place outside the laboratory in the real world. Inductive reasoning must follow rules of logic, but its greatest weakness is that it relies on an assumption of uniformity. Uniformity means that the rules that apply to one event (for example, in the laboratory) also apply to other events (in the real world). Can it be shown that uniformity is true? Inductive reasoning can not verify uniformity for it assumes uniformity to be true to begin with. Deductive reasoning can not verify it until at least two premises are verified by some other means. What about observation? Don’t we see uniformity all around us? After all, pure water evaporates at 100 oC everywhere it is tried, therefore the same rules for the evaporation of water apply everywhere. But that is using inductive reasoning: yes, water has always evaporated at 100 oC every time it is tried, but it has not been tried in every possible location or event. Therefore, conclusions from a group (every time it has been tried) are extrapolated to all objects and events. In the end, uniformity can not be verified by logic, reason, or observation, leaving uniformity as an assumption.
Lastly, consider logic itself. How can the rules of logic be verified? Take the law of non-contradiction, for example. The law says one object can not exist in two mutually exclusive categories at the same time. For example, something can not be dead and alive at the same time, since those two states of being are mutually exclusive. How can we know that this law is true? Inductive reasoning can not be used unless uniformity is verified. Observation can not since it will use inductive reasoning to extrapolate from a group of events to all possible events. Deductive reasoning can not unless at least two premises whose truth is known by some other means are found. In conclusion, logic and reason can not be shown to reach truth unless multiple assumptions (at least two foundational premises, uniformity, and the rules of logic) can be shown to be true. Unless these assumptions are verified, using logic to reach universal truth is an arbitrary assumption.
Since logic by itself is an assumption, what can be used to validate it? A God who created everything (Gen. 1:1, John 1:3), who never changes (James 1:17, Num. 23:19), and who uses reasoning Himself (Isa. 1:18) would be a good start. Seeing that the God of the Bible makes these claims, it is no wonder that He would say that knowledge comes from Him (Prov. 1:7, 9:10). So if someone wants to use logic and reason to determine truth, he must first accept the existence of God. Otherwise, his use of logic and reason is nothing more than an arbitrary assumption.
Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Things God did not Create
There is a “proof” of the non-existence of God that I have heard a couple of times. It goes something like this:
Person 1: Did God create everything?
Person 2: Yes, God created everything.
Person 1: Does evil exist in the world?
Person 2: Yes, it does.
Person 1: If evil exists, and if God created everything, then God must have created evil.
Person 2: But God is not evil nor the author of evil.
Person 1: Therefore, God did not create everything, and therefore God must not be the Creator of everything, thus God doesn’t exist.
The typical answer to this argument goes something like this: evil occurs when God’s rules are not obeyed. Evil is the absence of good, therefore evil does not exit. This is analogous to darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, darkness is not a thing in and of itself. Similarly, evil is the absence of good, evil is not a thing in and of itself.
I’ve found the argument that “evil does not exist” a little unsettling. First of all, how can “good” exist but not “evil”? Both words are used to describe actions: so and so did a good thing, or so and so did an evil thing. Both evil and good have the same origin (a person’s thought or will determines his actions) so how can one exist and the other doesn’t?
Second, the comparison to light and darkness doesn’t hold up. Yes, darkness is the absence of light, but darkness describes a physical phenomena, and God created the physical world. Look at Gen. 1:2. It describes the newly created world as being dark. Therefore, God did create darkness, and if God created darkness, then the analogy would indicate that God also created evil.
I think the solution to the opening “proof” of God’s non-existence is simply this: God did not create everything.
“Heresy! How can you say such a thing?”
Before the stake and firewood are brought out, let me explain. There is a slight of hand going on in the opening argument. When person 2 affirms that God created everything, what he means is that God made the whole universe. However, when person 1 categorizes evil as something that exists (and therefore, part of everything), he is using “everything” to mean the sum total of all things, events, and ideas. So there are two definitions of “everything” being used: “everything is the whole universe,” and “everything is all things, events, and ideas.” These two definitions may seem to be the same, but they are not. Allow me to elaborate by describing those things, events, and ideas God did not create.
First of all, God did not create Himself. He is eternal and has therefore existed from eternity past and will exist to eternity future. Besides, it is impossible for something to create itself. At its creation, something comes into existence, by definition. Yet, something must be in existence in order for it to create anything. So for something to create itself, it would have to be in existence (in order to create itself) and not in existence (it doesn’t exist prior to its creation) at the same time, breaking the law of non-contradiction. Therefore, God could not have created Himself.
While I’m using a logical argument, let’s touch on the fact that God did not create logic. The laws of logic are part of God’s nature, and therefore they also apply to His creation. The law of non-contradiction exists because God is eternal, unchanging, and consistent. The principle of uniformity (not to be confused with the principle of uniformitarianism, the former being the idea that natural laws apply everywhere over time and space, the latter being an idea about the rate of geological actions) also exists because God is eternal, unchanging, and consistent (for a further explanation of how logic is an expression of God’s nature, see “The Ultimate Proof of Creation” by Dr. Jason Lisle, pg. 196-198). God did not create wisdom for wisdom is an expression of God’s thoughts (Prov. 3:19, if God used wisdom to create the earth and heavens, wisdom must have been around before God began creation, before He created anything). God did not create ethics for all the moral laws He gave to man are an expression of His nature. All of these things are an expression of some part of the nature of God. If God did not create Himself, then He also did not create His nature, therefore He did not create those things that are an expression of His nature.
There are things that man created that God did not create. Since man was made in God’s image, we have creative abilities. If we have the ability to create things, then there must be things we created that God did not. For instance, God did not create the internal combustion engine. Now, man does not have the ability to create things out of nothing, so the physical matter that comprises the parts of an internal combustion engine was not created by man. However, the design was created by man. Some might argue that there are physical restraints that have to be met in order for an internal combustion engine to function, therefore man may have simply “discovered” how to build an internal combustion engine rather than actually designing one. While there are physical constraints (such as temperature, forces, available materials, and so forth) that dictate some aspects of the design of an engine, the exact design was created by man. Consider: there is the familiar piston engine and there is the Wankel rotary engine. Both are internal combustion engines, both function under the same physical conditions, but they have different designs, both of which were created by men.
So what can be concluded? There are three things God did not create: Himself, expressions of His nature, and designs made by humans. Therefore, God did not make everything if “everything” means all things, events, and ideas. So how does this relate to the existence of evil? God did not create evil. Man created evil when he rebelled against God in the Garden.
Person 1: Did God create everything?
Person 2: Yes, God created everything.
Person 1: Does evil exist in the world?
Person 2: Yes, it does.
Person 1: If evil exists, and if God created everything, then God must have created evil.
Person 2: But God is not evil nor the author of evil.
Person 1: Therefore, God did not create everything, and therefore God must not be the Creator of everything, thus God doesn’t exist.
The typical answer to this argument goes something like this: evil occurs when God’s rules are not obeyed. Evil is the absence of good, therefore evil does not exit. This is analogous to darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, darkness is not a thing in and of itself. Similarly, evil is the absence of good, evil is not a thing in and of itself.
I’ve found the argument that “evil does not exist” a little unsettling. First of all, how can “good” exist but not “evil”? Both words are used to describe actions: so and so did a good thing, or so and so did an evil thing. Both evil and good have the same origin (a person’s thought or will determines his actions) so how can one exist and the other doesn’t?
Second, the comparison to light and darkness doesn’t hold up. Yes, darkness is the absence of light, but darkness describes a physical phenomena, and God created the physical world. Look at Gen. 1:2. It describes the newly created world as being dark. Therefore, God did create darkness, and if God created darkness, then the analogy would indicate that God also created evil.
I think the solution to the opening “proof” of God’s non-existence is simply this: God did not create everything.
“Heresy! How can you say such a thing?”
Before the stake and firewood are brought out, let me explain. There is a slight of hand going on in the opening argument. When person 2 affirms that God created everything, what he means is that God made the whole universe. However, when person 1 categorizes evil as something that exists (and therefore, part of everything), he is using “everything” to mean the sum total of all things, events, and ideas. So there are two definitions of “everything” being used: “everything is the whole universe,” and “everything is all things, events, and ideas.” These two definitions may seem to be the same, but they are not. Allow me to elaborate by describing those things, events, and ideas God did not create.
First of all, God did not create Himself. He is eternal and has therefore existed from eternity past and will exist to eternity future. Besides, it is impossible for something to create itself. At its creation, something comes into existence, by definition. Yet, something must be in existence in order for it to create anything. So for something to create itself, it would have to be in existence (in order to create itself) and not in existence (it doesn’t exist prior to its creation) at the same time, breaking the law of non-contradiction. Therefore, God could not have created Himself.
While I’m using a logical argument, let’s touch on the fact that God did not create logic. The laws of logic are part of God’s nature, and therefore they also apply to His creation. The law of non-contradiction exists because God is eternal, unchanging, and consistent. The principle of uniformity (not to be confused with the principle of uniformitarianism, the former being the idea that natural laws apply everywhere over time and space, the latter being an idea about the rate of geological actions) also exists because God is eternal, unchanging, and consistent (for a further explanation of how logic is an expression of God’s nature, see “The Ultimate Proof of Creation” by Dr. Jason Lisle, pg. 196-198). God did not create wisdom for wisdom is an expression of God’s thoughts (Prov. 3:19, if God used wisdom to create the earth and heavens, wisdom must have been around before God began creation, before He created anything). God did not create ethics for all the moral laws He gave to man are an expression of His nature. All of these things are an expression of some part of the nature of God. If God did not create Himself, then He also did not create His nature, therefore He did not create those things that are an expression of His nature.
There are things that man created that God did not create. Since man was made in God’s image, we have creative abilities. If we have the ability to create things, then there must be things we created that God did not. For instance, God did not create the internal combustion engine. Now, man does not have the ability to create things out of nothing, so the physical matter that comprises the parts of an internal combustion engine was not created by man. However, the design was created by man. Some might argue that there are physical restraints that have to be met in order for an internal combustion engine to function, therefore man may have simply “discovered” how to build an internal combustion engine rather than actually designing one. While there are physical constraints (such as temperature, forces, available materials, and so forth) that dictate some aspects of the design of an engine, the exact design was created by man. Consider: there is the familiar piston engine and there is the Wankel rotary engine. Both are internal combustion engines, both function under the same physical conditions, but they have different designs, both of which were created by men.
So what can be concluded? There are three things God did not create: Himself, expressions of His nature, and designs made by humans. Therefore, God did not make everything if “everything” means all things, events, and ideas. So how does this relate to the existence of evil? God did not create evil. Man created evil when he rebelled against God in the Garden.
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