Herein lies the classic problem of how to get a finite mind to comprehend infinity:
Atheists always ask for a test or proof of God.
1) Since finite creatures only have a finite capacity to perceive, we are unable to accurately perceive infinity.
That is, our finite senses "fill up" with the first contact we make with infinity. Although there is infinitely more to reveal, we are unable to absorb the rest because our senses are already filled to maximum capacity.
Even if God were standing before us, we would be unable to perceive that He is God.
2) Yet if our senses prevent us from sensing infinity, how can we conceive of infinity?
The very fact that we can conceive of infinity means our intellects are capable of something our senses are not capable of.
Human intellect is more than just the processing of sensory data.
We are somehow linked to something infinite, something that allows us to hold the idea of infinity.
3) Since that "infinite" is not us, nor is it in us, it must be God.
This is the ontological argument.
ReplyDeleteWell a variation on a couple of them, yes, although I haven't seen it stated in exactly this form.
ReplyDeleteIt is, however, related to both Aquinas' and Leibniz' arguments.