Post by Padre Romero on May 16, 2007 0:48:05 GMT -5
To raise a question Hec may have heard me raise before:
Another beef with the "time-traveller-god" scenario is that the time travellers mind is not infinitely productive. Regardless of the time, technology, and knowledge our traveller has, some things simply will not occur to him by virtue of the structure of his mortal mind, you can lock a guy in a room with every textbook on philosophy for an infinite amount of time, but if he's the wrong guy, he won't necessarily come up with the problem of induction. That takes someone with the right frame of mind.
On the other hand, God knows everything (Or at least knows everything he wants to ((Or at least knows everything he wants to and he chooses to experience (((Or at least knows everything he wants to and chooses to experience and is knowable or experiencable)))))))* and is infinitely creative. At least in the theological perception of the faith I'm closest too. (i'll assume, perhaps foolishly, that they know what they're talking about)
So, even while the time traveller may be able to seek out help from the wisest minds humanity can fathom, there may be easier routes to doing what is possible (or unconsidered routes to doing what even the time traveller may consider impossible), which would be apparent to a diety. The time traveller may not be able to do anything a diety can.
* don't you love epistemology?
Another beef with the "time-traveller-god" scenario is that the time travellers mind is not infinitely productive. Regardless of the time, technology, and knowledge our traveller has, some things simply will not occur to him by virtue of the structure of his mortal mind, you can lock a guy in a room with every textbook on philosophy for an infinite amount of time, but if he's the wrong guy, he won't necessarily come up with the problem of induction. That takes someone with the right frame of mind.
On the other hand, God knows everything (Or at least knows everything he wants to ((Or at least knows everything he wants to and he chooses to experience (((Or at least knows everything he wants to and chooses to experience and is knowable or experiencable)))))))* and is infinitely creative. At least in the theological perception of the faith I'm closest too. (i'll assume, perhaps foolishly, that they know what they're talking about)
So, even while the time traveller may be able to seek out help from the wisest minds humanity can fathom, there may be easier routes to doing what is possible (or unconsidered routes to doing what even the time traveller may consider impossible), which would be apparent to a diety. The time traveller may not be able to do anything a diety can.
* don't you love epistemology?