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    The analogy between positing God and positing relational ... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→By analogy, simply positing relational tropes does not provide an effective theoretical response to Bradley's argument

    The analogy between positing God and positing relational tropes fails because the Problem of Evil generates a logical tension within a pre-accepted framework, while Bradley's regress targets the framework itself.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.The Problem of Evil assumes theism's coherence then derives contradiction, so it operates within an accepted metaphysical framework.
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    • 2.Bradley's regress questions whether relations themselves can exist without prior relations, attacking the foundational ontological structure itself.
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    • 3.Internal inconsistencies differ fundamentally from infinite regresses that undermine the viability of the entire framework being proposed.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Both arguments challenge core commitments: the Problem of Evil attacks God's properties, while Bradley's regress attacks whether relational properties can exist at all.
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    • 2.The distinction between 'internal tension' and 'framework collapse' is unclear: both show a proposed ontology faces insurmountable logical difficulties.
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    • 3.One could argue theism, like trope theory, might accommodate its objection through framework revision, making the structural distinction less decisive.
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    Key Terms

    Bradley's regress(General problem in ontology; Lowe's formal-relation strategy is intended to block it)
    An infinite regress that arises when a relation between constituents of a state of affairs is itself treated as a further constituent requiring yet another relation to bind it, and so on without end
    God(Classical theism; used to fix the referent of 'G' in the Bayesian formulation)
    An eternal, personal being of maximal power, knowledge, and goodness who created the universe
    Logical tension(as used in logic and reasoning)
    A situation where two or more statements seem to contradict each other, making it hard or impossible to believe them all at once.
    framework(Carnap's philosophy of language and logic)
    A structured system of rules or language that must be in place for rational discourse to be possible.
    positing(Fichtean model of self-consciousness)
    The act by which the I establishes or asserts being — both its own being and, through limitation, the being of the non-I
    problem of evil(Used as a basis for arguing against the existence of the God of traditional theism)
    The philosophical challenge of vindicating God's moral attributes (particularly omnipotence and perfect goodness) in light of the existence of evil in the world
    relational tropes(Alternative specification within trope-based event ontology)
    A construal of events as tropes that are relational in nature

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedModality & Possibility1 linked

    Related

    Both arguments challenge core commitments: the Problem of Evil attacks God's pro...Bradley's regress questions whether relations themselves can exist without prior...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    By analogy, simply positing relational tropes does not provide an effective theo...
    Internal inconsistencies differ fundamentally from infinite regresses that under...
    +3 moreShow less
    One could argue theism, like trope theory, might accommodate its objection throu...The Problem of Evil assumes theism's coherence then derives contradiction, so it...The distinction between 'internal tension' and 'framework collapse' is unclear: ...