Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Incarnation

Consider an analogy. Take a video game designer. Suppose, for discussion purposes, that artificial intelligence is possible. Suppose the virtual characters he creates have minds of their own. 

What is more, suppose he writes himself into his own program. He creates a character that corresponds to himself. On the one hand, the character who represents the gamer has the attributes of other ordinary video characters. He's a dynamic character. He acts in real time. He interacts with the environment of the virtual world.

Likewise, the character who represents the gamer can be as intelligent as the gamer. Has the same mind as the gamer. Can know as much as the gamer. 

Conversely, the gamer can limit how much the character knows. Compartmentalize the character's knowledge. 

The gamer can confer superhero powers on the character who represents the gamer. The character may have special abilities that ordinary virtual characters lack. He can work miracles.

On the other hand, the gamer is ontologically distinct from the character who represents him. The gamer exists outside of the simulation. The gamer is not, in himself, a video character. 

2 comments:

  1. Why don't you just address all the contradictory nonsense with... "It's a mystery."

    Trinitarians are forever coming up with mysterious and mystical mumbo-jumbo to defend their Greco-Roman, Imperial, extra-biblical creed concocted by warring churchmen. Jesus is God in the flesh. That's the mystery!

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    1. There's a difference between a contradiction and a mystery. Something can be mysterious without being even prima facie contradictory. I don't consider the Incarnation to be contradictory.

      There's nothing inherently wrong with extrabiblical creeds.

      One has to say a little more than just "Jesus is God in the flesh". The NT teaches the two-natures of Christ, as well as the Trinity.

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