Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2(pesnta.1.2) 9/5/84; site scc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!decvax!decwrl!amd!fortune!hpda!hplabs!pesnta!scc!steiny From: steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.religion Subject: Re: Logical paradoxes in the notion of omnipotence? Message-ID: <149@scc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 15-Sep-84 17:35:33 EDT Article-I.D.: scc.149 Posted: Sat Sep 15 17:35:33 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 03:27:24 EDT References: <213@laidbak.UUCP> <1804@ucbvax.ARPA> <192@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP> Organization: Personetics, Inc. - Santa Cruz, Calif. Lines: 38 *** The sentence: This sentence is false. is considered logically meaningless because of a confusion of logical levels. The sentence is on the "object level". Whether or not the sentence is true is a meta-level, because is is talking about the sentence. Saying that the universe was created is a statement about the universe. If the creator is one of the things in the universe it is the same level confusion. Likewise with "omnipotance". If we say X is omnipotant and if X makes the statement I am omnipotant then we have the Epimenidies paradox. Emimenidies was a Createn who said "All Createns are liars". The "paradox" is not really a paradox because when a lower logical level makes statements about a higher logical level the statments are considered logically meaningless. They are neither true nor false, but ill-formed and undefined. -- "Damn, more bats ... Someone get me a ruler!" Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382 109 Torrey Pine Terr. Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060 ihnp4!pesnta -\ fortune!idsvax -> scc!steiny ucbvax!twg -/