Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism: Omniscience PDF
Preview Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism: Omniscience
BRILL'S STUDIES IN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY General Editor A. J. VANDERJAGT, University of Groningen Editorial Board M. COLISH, Oberlin College J. I. ISRAEL, University College, London J. D. NORTH, University of Groningen R. H. POPKIN, Washington University, St. Louis — UCLA VOLUME 19 '68^> DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE AND HUMAN FREEDOM The Coherence of Theism: Omniscience BY WILLIAM LANE CRAIG NEG/* E.J. BRILL LEIDEN · NEW YORK · K0BENHAVN · KÖLN 1991 The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Com mittee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Craig, William Lane. Divine foreknowledge and human freedom: the coherence of theism: omniscience / by William Lane Craig. p. cm.—(Brill's studies in intellectual history, ISSN 0920-8607; v. 19) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 90-04-09250-1 1. God—Omniscience. 2. Free will and determinism. 3. Theism. I. Title. II. Series. BT131.C88 1990 212'.7—dc20 90-42346 CIP ISSN 0920-8607 ISBN 90 04 09250 1 © Copyright 1991 by E.J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche or any other means without written permission from the publisher Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by E. J. Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, SALEM MA 01970, USA. Fees are subject to change. PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS For WILLIAM MALLORY JOHN "mon fils unique" TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface Introduction Coherence and Rationality Problems of Omniscience I. THEOLOGICAL FATALISM A. N. Prior Nelson Pike II. REDUCTION OF THEOLOGICAL TO LOGICAL FATALISM III. LOGICAL FATALISM Richard Taylor Taylor's Response to his Critics IV. SUGGESTED ESCAPES FROM FATALISM Denial of the Principle of Bivalence or the Law of Exclu ded Middle Status of the Principle of Bivalence Grounds for Denying Bivalence of Future Contingent Propositions Grounds for Affirming Bivalence of Future Contingent Propositions Bivalence of All Propositions Falsity of All Future Contingent Propositions Logical Form of Future Contingent Propositions . . . . Unidentifiability of Future Individuals Timelessness of Truth Tensed vs. Tenseless Truth-Bearers Omnitemporal vs. Atemporal Truth Conclusion V. "WITHIN ONE'S POWER" Taylor on "Within One's Power" Nécessitas consequentiae and Personal Power Conditions and Consequences Fatalism about the Past vs. Fatalism about the Future . Changing the Past vs. Changing the Future Causing the Future vs. Causing the Past viii CONTENTS VI. BACKWARD CAUSATION 94 PART I: THE ALLEGED LOGICAL IMPOSSIBILITY OF RETRO-CAUSATION 94 Dummett's Defense of Backward Causation 94 The Logical Objection to Backward Causation 100 Antony Flew 100 Michael Scriven 101 Richard Gale 102 Richard Swinburne 103 Assessment of the Logical Objection 103 Two Words of Caution 104 Assessment 105 Logical and Metaphysical Modality Ill PART II: PURPORTED INSTANCES OF RETRO-CAUSA TION 113 Neural Physiology 114 Particle Pair Creation/Annihilation 115 Classical Electrodynamics 116 Tachyons 120 Superluminal Particles and Backward Causation .... 120 The Reinterpretation Principle 122 The Logically Pernicious Self-Inhibitor 127 A Perspectival Special Theory of Relativity 128 Precognition 131 Experimental Evidence 131 Retro-Causal Explanation 133 Difficulties in Retro-Causal Explanation 136 Time Travel 139 A Word of Caution 139 The Possibility of Time Travel 140 Stock Objections to Time Travel 141 The Logically Pernicious Self-Inhibitor 143 Circular Causation 149 PART III. THE METAPHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY OF RE TRO-CAUSATION 150 The Α-Theory and Backward Causation 150 Superiority of the Α-Theory 153 Application to Purported Instances of Backward Causa tion 154 Conclusion 156 CONTENTS ix VII. "WITHIN ONE'S POWER" ONCE MORE 158 Power and Counterfactual Openness 158 Failure of Fatalism 160 Conclusion 161 /III. TRANSITION TO THEOLOGICAL FATALISM 162 Prior 162 Pike 165 Conclusion 171 IX. TEMPORAL NECESSITY 172 Contemporary Debate from Pike to Plantinga 172 John Turk Saunders vs. Nelson Pike 172 Marilyn Adams 173 John Fischer 175 Alfred J. Freddoso 179 Alvin Plantinga 183 Assessment of the Debate 186 Toward Understanding Temporal Necessity 186 Backward Causation and Intuitions of the Past's Neces sity 191 Fatalism and Ability 195 Conclusion 203 X. NEWCOMB'S PARADOX 205 The Puzzle Conditions 205 Theological Implications 206 Nozick's Dilemma 208 Divine Foreknowledge and the One-Box Strategy 210 Objections to the One-Box Strategy 211 Backward Causation 211 Backtracking Counterfactuals 212 Newcomb's Paradox and Freedom 220 Conclusion 221 XI. FOREKNOWLEDGE AND FREEDOM OF GOD 222 Foreknowledge and Human Deliberation 222 Foreknowledge and Divine Deliberation 223 Conclusion 225 XII. THE BASIS OF DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE 226 God's Ability to Know Future Contingents 226 Knowledge vs. True Belief 229 Conclusion 235 χ CONTENTS XIII. MIDDLE KNOWLEDGE 237 The Doctrine of Middle Knowledge 237 Natural, Middle, and Free Knowledge 237 Theological Ramifications 240 Grounds for Affirming Middle Knowledge 242 Objections to Middle Knowledge 246 The Object of Middle Knowledge 246 Middle Knowledge and Passivity in God 270 Middle Knowledge and Divine Freedom 275 Conclusion 278 APPENDIX I: Is THE SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY FATALISTIC? 279 NOTES 287 BIBLIOGRAPHY 337 INDEX 354
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