Is God the Creator of reality?

Originally posted by Coletti
But you still have not defined existence. What is it?

Sure I have. I define existence to be the property shared by all things that have been or have the potential to be discovered; the property without which something cannot be discovered.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Sure I have. I define existence to be the property shared by all things that have been or have the potential to be discovered; the property without which something cannot be discovered.

So does the cartoon character Micky Mouse exist?

Originally posted by Coletti
So does the cartoon character Micky Mouse exist?

Sure, as a fictional character. Not as a member of the animal kingdom.

Originally posted by blindfaith101
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat: But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. GENESIS 2:16,17
GOD clearly gave man intructions. Man could eat of every tree except one. Clearly giving man a choice. Man co ...[text shortened]... nd what it meant.
Man had the free choice to live the good life, in fact he was commanded to.

i see what you are saying.

but how do you know that adam and eve could have NOT eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? after all, the bible repeatedly seems to say that man, by his very nature, cannot help but commit sins. how do you know that it would have been possible that adam and eve could have avoided eating the forbidden fruit?

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat: But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

as i interpret this, this does not mean that adam and eve necessarily had any choice in the matter. all it says is that if (when??) they eat from the forbidden tree, they will surely die. you may say that it would be a paradox for god to give adam and eve instructions that they could not possibly follow, but isn't that exactly what the bible says about man -- namely that it is not possible for man to follow god's instructions perfectly because of our sinful nature??

i still don't think the passage implies that free will exists.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Sure, as a fictional character. Not as a member of the animal kingdom.

Then really all things exists.

Originally posted by Coletti
Then really all things exists.

That's not true. Here's a proof.

Let A denote your claim: All things exist.

You claim that A is true.
It follows that A is not false.
It follows that there does not exist a claim that is both A and false.
Thus, there is at least one thing that does not exist.
But, this finding contradicts your claim. That is, your claim entails a logical contradiction, and thus it cannot be true.
Thus, your claim is false, and it is not the case that all things exist.

For an alternate proof by counterexample, there also does not exist a greatest integer.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
That's not true. Here's a proof.

Let A denote your claim: All things exist.

You claim that A is true.
It follows that A is not false.
It follows that there does not exist a claim that is both A and false.
Thus, something does not exist.
But, this finding contradicts your claim. That is, your claim entails a logical contradiction, and thus cannot be true.
Thus, your claim is false.

Your argument is flawed at "Thus, something does not exist."
That does not follow.

Originally posted by Coletti
Your argument is flawed at "Thus, something does not exist."
That does not follow.

Sure it does. There is at least one thing that does not exist - namely, a claim that is both A and false.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Sure it does. There is at least one thing that does not exist - namely, a claim that is both A and false.

There is no claim that is both A and is false. All things exists is true and A is true. If A is true, then A is not false. So there is no existing thing that does not exist. All things exist.

You are trying to say that a false claim does not exist. If that is true, there are not false claims.

Originally posted by Coletti
There is no claim that is both A and is false. All things exists is true and A is true. If A is true, then A is not false. So there is no existing thing that does not exist. All things exist.

This post is nonsense.
The first sentence is true, but it contradicts your claim A.
The second sentence is a lie, as my previous two proofs demonstrate; it also contradicts your first sentence.
The third and fourth sentences are tautologies, which while I am sure they are beneficial for you to practice, they don't add much to the discussion at hand.
The last sentence is a lie and contradicts the first sentence.

Originally posted by Coletti
There is no claim that is both A and is false. All things exists is true and A is true. If A is true, then A is not false. So there is no existing thing that does not exist. All things exist.

You are trying to say that a false claim does not exist. If that is true, there are not false claims.

I suggest you immediately enroll in bbarr's logic course. You need some serious remedial attention.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
This post is nonsense.
The first sentence is true, but it contradicts your claim A.
The second sentence is a lie, as my previous two proofs demonstrate; it also contradicts your first sentence.
The third and fourth sentences are tautologies, which while I am sure they are beneficial for you to practice, they don't add much to the discussion at hand.
The last sentence is a lie and contradicts the first sentence.

Then tell me what is A and false.

Originally posted by Coletti
There is no claim that is both A and is false. All things exists is true and A is true. If A is true, then A is not false. So there is no existing thing that does not exist. All things exist.

You are trying to say that a false claim does not exist. If that is true, there are not false claims.

Let's try something else then. You claim 'All things exist' -- I don't see the problem with Dr. S's argument, but we don't really need to do anything as constructive as that. Just show me an even prime greater than 2 or an element of the empty set and I'll be satisfied that all things exist.

Originally posted by Coletti
Then tell me what is A and false.

Nothing - no such thing with that union of properties exists, once you claim that A is true. That's the crux of the proof of A's falsehood.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Nothing - no such thing with that union of properties exists, once you claim that A is true. That's the crux of the proof of A's falsehood.

Nothing is a concept. And concepts, just like Pi and 2 exist.

So the concept of nothing has the property of existence. Otherwise you could not say that "nothing is an even prime number greater than 2" because that would be false. (or nonsense)