Mr. Hays a friend asked me a few interesting questions on Dr.Welty and Dr.Anderson's view on logic. I'd really appreciate your thoughts about the matter. "Like, for example, Anderson starts with truth functional entities in abstract and then ties them to God, reminiscent (to me) of Augustine with the Forms or Aquinas with pure actuality. Says Anderson, " Propositions are simply those entities that are non-derivatively true or false. If God has any true thoughts then it follows by the very definition of ‘proposition’ that God thinks propositionally. And, of course, God does have true thoughts. (How could God reveal truths to us without first having true thoughts?)" But, doesn't that reduce our ontology of truth to a univocism? Doesn't God have truth in virtue of _Himself,_ not atomic truth bearers that stack up to account for His thinking?What does it mean, for example, to talk about falsity pre-creation?What is "false" before God's creative decree?And then he brings up Bible verses... Very reminiscent of Arminians who bring up Bible verses about God's covenant distance from sin.Can God not be sovereign Determinant of all history and simultaneously free from forcing the hand of His people? I'd bet $100 Anderson's answer is yes. So then, why can't God think propositionally in His condescension while simultaneously He transcends the propositional content He takes on to reveal Himself to propositionally bound creatures?"
To pick on one point, there's nothing *before* God's creative decree. His creative decree is timeless. Likewise, it stands in contrast to other counterfactual scenarios in God's mind. What is true in one possible world may be false in another. And that concerns truths of fact (contingent truths). You also have truths of reason (necessary truths).
Thank you for your response . I just couldn't understand what something like that would entail. Like a mathematical propositions (like "2+2=4") became true upon creation.
Do you think conceptual realism results in univocism? Or does God have non propositional knowledge? Also, does the Vern Poythress model make it impossible to discuss logic anyways?
I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean for God to have nonpropositional knowledge. God can't have tactic knowledge. He's fully aware of everything he knows. Likewise, God doesn't have knowledge via sensory perception. So what's left if not propositional knowledge?
Mr. Hays a friend asked me a few interesting questions on Dr.Welty and Dr.Anderson's view on logic. I'd really appreciate your thoughts about the matter.
ReplyDelete"Like, for example, Anderson starts with truth functional entities in abstract and then ties them to God, reminiscent (to me) of Augustine with the Forms or Aquinas with pure actuality. Says Anderson, " Propositions are simply those entities that are non-derivatively true or false. If God has any true thoughts then it follows by the very definition of ‘proposition’ that God thinks propositionally. And, of course, God does have true thoughts. (How could God reveal truths to us without first having true thoughts?)" But, doesn't that reduce our ontology of truth to a univocism? Doesn't God have truth in virtue of _Himself,_ not atomic truth bearers that stack up to account for His thinking?What does it mean, for example, to talk about falsity pre-creation?What is "false" before God's creative decree?And then he brings up Bible verses... Very reminiscent of Arminians who bring up Bible verses about God's covenant distance from sin.Can God not be sovereign Determinant of all history and simultaneously free from forcing the hand of His people? I'd bet $100 Anderson's answer is yes. So then, why can't God think propositionally in His condescension while simultaneously He transcends the propositional content He takes on to reveal Himself to propositionally bound creatures?"
To pick on one point, there's nothing *before* God's creative decree. His creative decree is timeless. Likewise, it stands in contrast to other counterfactual scenarios in God's mind. What is true in one possible world may be false in another. And that concerns truths of fact (contingent truths). You also have truths of reason (necessary truths).
Delete"Can God not be sovereign Determinant of all history and simultaneously free from forcing the hand of His people."
DeleteIt's up to the questioner to show why that's not a pseudotask.
Thank you for your response . I just couldn't understand what something like that would entail. Like a mathematical propositions (like "2+2=4") became true upon creation.
DeleteDo you think conceptual realism results in univocism? Or does God have non propositional knowledge? Also, does the Vern Poythress model make it impossible to discuss logic anyways?
It sounds like objections raised by Nate Shannon. To some extent by Poythress. I've responded to both.
DeleteI'm not sure what it's supposed to mean for God to have nonpropositional knowledge. God can't have tactic knowledge. He's fully aware of everything he knows. Likewise, God doesn't have knowledge via sensory perception. So what's left if not propositional knowledge?
Delete