A quick observation on the Cartesian demon: Why would a being so vastly our intellectual superior find it interesting or entertaining to delude other beings so much simpler than itself? Consider teenagers or adults who outgrow toys, movies, stories, and games for little kids. According to the Cartesian thought-experiment, the cosmic deceiver is incomparably more intelligent than puny humans. So what's the fun in toying with us? Wouldn't that be boring? It's way too easy to outsmart us. Where's the challenge in that?
The Cartesian demon is not about the probability of its existence but about the possibility....
ReplyDeleteThe issue is how seriously we should take the thought-experiment even from a hypothetical standpoint. My point is that even as a matter of principle, it suffers from a lack of inner logic.
DeleteThe Cartesian demon is an argument against the epistemological virtue of fallible beliefs. You must have beliefs that can not be induced by the Cartesian demon, that is, infallible beliefs.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this kind of epistemology does not go very far. Probable (fallible) beliefs are sufficient.
I agree that while it's not impossible, it's highly implausible for an infinite or nearly infinite being to do that.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, this has a tie in with Peter Pike's post which was posted right before this blogpost. The blogpost titled, "The Good God".
It seems to me that a supremely rational God as portrayed in the Bible would be perfectly good precisely because there a connection between goodness and rationality. In terms of perfect being theology, a perfectly rational Being would naturally and necessarily be good, while only a finite or imperfect being could be so irrational as to behave in the evil way a Cartesian demon would.
Christians might sometimes doubt God's goodness, but if they are convinced of God's supreme rationality, then they can use that belief to help strengthen their belief in His goodness. The same is true of belief in God's omnipotence and omniscience. An omniscient God would not make foolish (and therefore also evil) decrees, and an omnipotent God can bring to pass what He has wisely decreed.