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    The First Being is perfect, with no deficiency or privation. — Carmelics
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    The First Being is perfect, with no deficiency or privation.

    Divine AttributesProof of definition segments
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.If the First Being were deprived of some property F, it would have the potentiality to be F.
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    • 2.The First Being has no potentiality for any predicate it does not already possess by its essence.
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    • 3.Therefore the First Being cannot be deprived of any property.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.A being whose perfection is logically necessary lacks the freedom to be otherwise, collapsing perfection into mere necessity.
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    • 2.Genuine perfection requires the capacity for self-determination, which al-Farabi's necessitarian First Being structurally cannot possess.
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    • 3.Therefore the First Being satisfies a formal criterion of perfection while failing the substantive criterion that perfection entails.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
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    • 1.Privation is defined relative to a nature's proper end; without a determinate nature distinct from existence, privation becomes inapplicable rather than impossible.
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    • 2.If privation cannot apply to the First Being, the claim that it lacks privation is trivially true and uninformative about genuine perfection.
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    Divine AttributesProof of definition segments

    Related

    A being whose perfection is logically necessary lacks the freedom to be otherwis...Genuine perfection requires the capacity for self-determination, which al-Farabi...If privation cannot apply to the First Being, the claim that it lacks privation ...If the First Being were deprived of some property F, it would have the potential...
    +4 moreShow less
    Privation is defined relative to a nature's proper end; without a determinate na...The First Being has no potentiality for any predicate it does not possess by its...Therefore the First Being cannot be deprived of any property.Therefore the First Being satisfies a formal criterion of perfection while faili...

    Similar

    God, as a perfect being, cannot be subject to privation or lack.85%The First Being has no potentiality for any perfection not had by its ...81%If God includes everything and God is perfect or good, then everything...81%The First has no privation or potentiality80%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: al-farabi-metaphysics
    View source passageHide passage
    At a first stab: Fârâbî argues that, if something is “first” in the sense that nothing is prior to it, it cannot be dependent on anything for its existence or for its continuation in existence. Therefore it has existed without beginning and will exist without end, and has no potentiality for not existing. It has no efficient cause, but also no material cause: if it had a material cause, its matter would be prior to it, and presumably it would also depend on an efficient cause to turn its matter
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit