The Problem of Omniscience

If I were God, I'd know the entire history of the universe forever, future as well as past, I'd also know in advance every one of my own acts.

Oh, but wait, there's a dilemma there, isn't there?

Either God is bound by his future acts and has no free will, or he isn't omniscient at all because he doesn't know the future.

I call this The Problem of Omniscience.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on June 28, 2015 at 11:05am

I don't know if it's orignal, but it just occurred to me while thinking about some of the issues discussed in the discussion of the problem of evil/suffering.

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Permalink Reply by Belle Rose on June 28, 2015 at 2:47am

Not that I'm jealous, (ok maybe a little) but how did that happen so easily? LOL!!!

Congratulations Uncle Unseen!! LOL!!!

You get another prize for having a discussion featured that hasn't even begun yet ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on June 28, 2015 at 3:00am

That's because we knew it would be featured....:-)

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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on June 28, 2015 at 5:49am

I used my free will to prevent myself from knowing you would say that so "take that atheist"! Oh wait...I knew beforehand I was going to prevent myself from knowing what I already knew. Maybe there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know........wait a minute, that sounds familiar??

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Permalink Reply by Belle Rose on June 28, 2015 at 3:19pm

I think you don't know that you know what you're talking about, but both you and I know that you really do know, therefore we all know that Reg the Fronkey Farmer is all knowing.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on June 30, 2015 at 11:48pm

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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on July 1, 2015 at 4:35am

I knew you would know that one too!!

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Permalink Reply by Davis Goodman on July 1, 2015 at 5:26am

The known knowns = scientific knowledge

The unknown unknowns = paranoid preemptive murderous missile strikes

The known unknowns = future research/endless-philosophical-questions

The unknown knowns = Jesus our lord saviour who experienced three glorious days of sado-masochism on the cross so he could die to save humanity from their sins???