BOETHIUS

What does Boethius say on God’s foreknowledge ?

It does not impose necessity on things

Do we have free will according to Boethius ?

Yes- just because God knows we will do something, it doesnt mean we will do it.

Who argues that we do not have free will?

John Calvin due to predestination

What is a simple necessity?

Something that just has to be the case, such as someone having to die- we have no control over it.

What is a conditioned necessity?

The necessity follows from a choice- it has only happened because we have chosen to

What does Henry Sidwig argue?

The fact that we are conscious of the consequences of our actions and use them to decide what to do proves that we do have free will as some decisions are hard to make.

What were Boethius’ aims?

• To question what we mean by divine foreknowledge

• Explore the meaning of eternity

• Discuss two kinds of necessity- simple and conditional

• To prove that god rewards and punishes justly

What does temporal mean?

Within time

How can temporal things act?

In the present- we don’t live in the past or future

What does Boethius say will happen to what an omniscient God foresees?

It must happen - they become necessary

What is the difference between God willing us to do something and god knowing that we will do something?

If God just knows that we will do something but doesn’t cause it then our free will is maintained

What is made useless if our actions are predestined?

• Prayer

• god rewarding/punishing us

How did Boethius understand the word eternal?

Timeless rather than everlasting- if he is eternal he is not subject to time

what type of god is God for Boethius ?

Timeless and eternal

What does an “eternal” god mean?

God is outside time and unaffected by it- for God time is now

What issues does a timeless god lead to?

Whether God can have true knowledge

What is everlasting Existence and who is it supported by?

Existence without an end- Aristotle

Why can Boethius’ argument that a god is “enduring” and living “always” be critiqued?

These words imply time

Why can God not be temporal?

Lives are lived in a sequence so if God knows this he cannot be temporal

What is an issue with God being eternal?

How is he supposed to interact with the temporal

what issue does Einstein’s General theory of relativity lead to?

Time may not be the unchanging thing that our every day experience may suggest- if continuity of time is an illusion what does this mean of our understanding of time.

Can God change the past according to Boethius?

No- an eternally present God has no past

What does Norman Kretzmann argue?

a perfect God has to be unchanging and timeless however this means they must know everything and therefore have a concept of time and will change- God cannot therefore be immutable

why does Kretzmann argue that knowing time means that God is changing and therefore not eternal?

A change in time leads to a change in perspective and therefore even if change is minimal it is still present.

What is an issue with Boethius preserving the notion of the otherness of God by his timeless nature?

It preserves the otherness of God at the expense of his other qualities for example God is seen by many to be loving in all that he does.

What does D.Z Philips argue on Gods attributes?

God and love are equivalent terms

What is the issue with God being omniscient ?

Why hasn’t God prevented great harm