the problem of omniscience and freedom

main aim

to argue that the concept of God is inconsistent with a belief in free will

premise one

for me to do an action freely i must be able to do it or not do it

premise two

if God knows what i will do in the future, then it is impossible for me not to do it

conclusion one

so either God is omniscient and i cannot act freely or i can act freely and God is not omniscient

conclusion two

so the concept of God as omniscient is inconsistent with the belief that i have free will

development

as God is also supremely good, it is reasonable to hold that he would want us to have free will in order for our lives to be meaningful and have moral significance

so either God is omniscient (and we do not have free will) or he is supremely good (and we have free will) but he cannot be both