Unfortunately the need to put butter on the table deterred me from participating in this interesting revival of good old Anselm’s ontological proof. But, as I worked, I few of my free processing moments compulsively kept beating the drum of this millennial question: can we reasonable use the argument to prove the existence of something which is perfect but not God? Fine, so a perfect island is out of the question since it isn’t the greatest of all perfect things. For example it erodes. Not good. Since anything which is perfect must by all means necessarily be eternal, right? I mean, who doesn’t want to exist for ever? And if it doesn’t erode, can it be called an island? Nah. Well, I guess were left with the Perfect Being necessary in all Worlds…
Hold on, I though, what about…what about…what about Winnie the Poh! The Tao! Yes. The Perfect Way…
Could something which can’t be said to have any consciousness like ours, something which can’t help itself, something which simply happens because that’s the way it is and always has been and always will be, can it be said to be perfect? Hmmmm. Why not? Thruth Seeker’s big capital E. Existence per say. Not existence as what actually is (let’s call it little e), but Existence with a big capital E. The thing that you just flow along with as it carries you from here to eternity in every possible world. The Perfect Process, mightier than Vishnu or any other conception of the divine. Hold on, is it then equal to God? Perfect Being? Perfect Existence? Is this Perfect Process the same as God portrayed by Plotinus?
Gee whiskers. Maybe. But somehow they seem oddly different. It doesn’t jell well. GOD = TAO = E = PERFECT BEING? Something itches the scalp. I’m not a theist. Or at least that’s what I thought. No, no, I’m not. I swear. Something just isn’t right about this. I feel they are different. Equally perfect. But different. They carry sooooo much luggage. Centuries of conceptions about their meaning. Maybe something will eventually give…
Ah! Perhaps this is a viable difference:
G is the perfectly inconceivable
E is the perfectly conceivable
E is certainly knowable. Therefore should we not be able to apply modal logic as to its necessity and possibility? But What about G? Since it’s perfectly inconceivable, i.e. perfectly unknowable, how can we do anything with it?
Unfortunately the need to put butter on the table deterred me from participating in this interesting revival of good old Anselm’s ontological proof. But, as I worked, I few of my free processing moments compulsively kept beating the drum of this millennial question: can we reasonable use the argument to prove the existence of something which is perfect but not God? Fine, so a perfect island is out of the question since it isn’t the greatest of all perfect things. For example it erodes. Not good. Since anything which is perfect must by all means necessarily be eternal, right? I mean, who doesn’t want to exist for ever? And if it doesn’t erode, can it be called an island? Nah. Well, I guess were left with the Perfect Being necessary in all Worlds…
Hold on, I though, what about…what about…what about Winnie the Poh! The Tao! Yes. The Perfect Way…
Could something which can’t be said to have any consciousness like ours, something which can’t help itself, something which simply happens because that’s the way it is and always has been and always will be, can it be said to be perfect? Hmmmm. Why not? Thruth Seeker’s big capital E. Existence per say. Not existence as what actually is (let’s call it little e), but Existence with a big capital E. The thing that you just flow along with as it carries you from here to eternity in every possible world. The Perfect Process, mightier than Vishnu or any other conception of the divine. Hold on, is it then equal to God? Perfect Being? Perfect Existence? Is this Perfect Process the same as God portrayed by Plotinus?
Gee whiskers. Maybe. But somehow they seem oddly different. It doesn’t jell well. GOD = TAO = E = PERFECT BEING? Something itches the scalp. I’m not a theist. Or at least that’s what I thought. No, no, I’m not. I swear. Something just isn’t right about this. I feel they are different. Equally perfect. But different. They carry sooooo much luggage. Centuries of conceptions about their meaning. Maybe something will eventually give…
Ah! Perhaps this is a viable difference:
G is the perfectly inconceivable
E is the perfectly conceivable
E is certainly knowable. Therefore should we not be able to apply modal logic as to its necessity and possibility? But What about G? Since it’s perfectly inconceivable, i.e. perfectly unknowable, how can we do anything with it?