A state of affairs wrongly analyzed as requiring causal absence does not impose a genuine logical limit on omnipotence; it merely reflects a contested and potentially mistaken theory of freedom.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Compatibilist theories of freedom (like Frankfurt cases) show free will can exist with causal determinism, undermining the necessity of causal absence.
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2.The claim that omnipotence requires logical possibility, not metaphysical necessity, leaves room for libertarian freedom under divine omnipotence.
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3.If causal absence is required for freedom, then omnipotent beings creating free agents becomes logically incoherent—a reductio against the premise.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Libertarians argue that genuine alternative possibilities require causal openness; compatibilism merely redefines 'freedom' to fit determinism.
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2.Calling the causal-absence requirement 'potentially mistaken' begs the question; it requires independent argument, not dismissal as theoretical.
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3.If an omnipotent being causes all acts, no agent has alternative possibilities—making the distinction between genuine and illusory freedom real.
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Key Terms

Analyzed(in philosophical discussions about definitions): Broken down into smaller parts or simpler concepts to explain what something really is.
Causal absence(as used in metaphysics and philosophy of causation): The idea that something doesn't happen because no cause made it happen—for example, a miracle might be explained as an event with no natural cause behind it.
Contested(the status of whether this view is correct): Disputed or disagreed upon; there's no consensus that it's true.
Genuine: Something is genuine when it is real, authentic, and exactly what it claims to be—not fake, counterfeit, or pretending to be something else. For example, genuine leather is actual leather rather than synthetic material, or a genuine apology comes from sincere feeling rather than obligation. The word describes anything that is honestly and truly itself without deception or imitation.
Logical limit(as used in logic and omnipotence debates): A restriction on what's possible based on the rules of logic itself; something that contradicts the basic laws of reason and therefore cannot be done.
Theory of freedom(as used in metaphysics and ethics): A philosophical explanation of what freedom actually is and how it works—for instance, whether free will means making choices without outside control.
omnipotence(Bruno's theological framework): God's primary attribute as designated by the Apostles' Creed, entailing that all possibilities are actualized
state of affairs(Chisholm 1970): A genus of which both events and facts are treated as species, used to capture their close ontological kinship without fully identifying them.

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Divine Attributes1 linked

An omnipotent agent ought not to be required to have the power to bring about st...Calling the causal-absence requirement 'potentially mistaken' begs the question;...Compatibilist theories of freedom (like Frankfurt cases) show free will can exis...If an omnipotent being causes all acts, no agent has alternative possibilities—m...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit