- #1
peter0302
- 876
- 3
I assert that an omnipotent creator (calling it God just for the sake of convenience) could not change the value of Pi, and therefore omnipotence itself is impossible, that there are some universal laws that are immutable and exist purely by virtue of logic, neither requiring a creator nor allowing one to have dominion over them.
Let's start with the obvious. God of course can eliminate all circles in nature and replace them all with ovals. That's not what I mean by change the value of Pi. God also could trick every human into calculating Pi incorrectly. That's also not what I mean.
I mean can God change the ratio of a perfect circle to its diameter? A perfect circle being a purely logical construct, it can exist in the abstract without there being any such thing as a circle in the physical world. Indeed, since Pi itself is a transcendental number, there can be *no* truly mathematically exact perfect circle in nature because infinite precision would be required (which we all know is impossible in quantum mechanics).
A circle is the equation x^2 + y^2 = r^2. That's it. God cannot change the properties or behavior of that equation any more than he can make 2+2 equal 5.
Mathematics and logic are transcendental of the physical world. Perhaps they, themselves, are the creator, existing before and after time, immutable, and supreme. Were it possible to derive the empirical laws of physics using pure math and logic - no empirical observation required - would that not moot the need for anything more?
Let's start with the obvious. God of course can eliminate all circles in nature and replace them all with ovals. That's not what I mean by change the value of Pi. God also could trick every human into calculating Pi incorrectly. That's also not what I mean.
I mean can God change the ratio of a perfect circle to its diameter? A perfect circle being a purely logical construct, it can exist in the abstract without there being any such thing as a circle in the physical world. Indeed, since Pi itself is a transcendental number, there can be *no* truly mathematically exact perfect circle in nature because infinite precision would be required (which we all know is impossible in quantum mechanics).
A circle is the equation x^2 + y^2 = r^2. That's it. God cannot change the properties or behavior of that equation any more than he can make 2+2 equal 5.
Mathematics and logic are transcendental of the physical world. Perhaps they, themselves, are the creator, existing before and after time, immutable, and supreme. Were it possible to derive the empirical laws of physics using pure math and logic - no empirical observation required - would that not moot the need for anything more?