Somewhere in my Aquinas studies, it was posed that we exist because we are thoughts in the mind of God.
As long as he's thinking of us, we exist. When he doesn't, we cease. I assumed this refers to both states---the material and the spiritual in order that there is life after material death.
It also provides for the possibility of an ultimate nothingness after death, much sought after by atheists, providing of course that God forgets about them if that's even possible. You know being God and all, forgetting thoughts might not be a "God thing."
However I don't find that interesting, but what I do find fascinating is that if we are thoughts, we are thoughts with Free Will.
A thought with Free Will strikes me as pretty darned dangerous.
I invite your ruminations.
Are we thoughts?
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Del
- Usher
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Are we thoughts?
Like any good analogy, this one is good only as far as it goes.
The problem with the analogy of "thoughts in God's mind" is that we immediately regard our own thoughts in our own minds.... which are often vaguely formed, half-baked, easily distracted, and sometimes forgotten. Our thinking takes concentration and effort. So if I am "merely a thought in God's mind," what happens if God loses His train of thought? Do I get derailed too?
That's not a pleasant thought. I'm glad that's not a proper application of the analogy.
The philosophy professor would explain that what we have here is a category error. We are talking about ontology -- on "being" and "having being." But when we speak of "thoughts," we are tempted to think the discussion is about epistemology -- on "knowledge" and what it means "to know" a thing.
The philosophy professor then has jolly fun tying this students into knots, talking about what it means for God to know a thing. In order for God to know something, it must exist. Right? But God is also the source of all being, right? So if God knows you, then you must exist. And if God doesn't know you, then you can't exist. So there!
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This is all very confusing and unsettling to pagans and uncatechised Christians who have not had at least a grade-school introduction to the system of Aristotle and Aquinas.
When I have occasion to talk about such things (and I know a lot of Catholic homeschool kids, so it happens), I prefer to say "participation in God's Being" rather than "thoughts in God's Mind." They mean exactly the same thing, but our human experience of being is more solid and permanent than our experience of thoughts.
In Christian ontology, humanity exists by God's special invitation. God could, in theory, choose to forget me and annihilate my entire existence. But God does not choose to do so. He made me to participate in His immortal Being, and so I am an immortal being. God also made me Free, so that I can choose to exist in God's Presence -- or to exist apart from Him.
That makes Free Will a pretty dangerous thing. We need to exercise it responsibility.
The problem with the analogy of "thoughts in God's mind" is that we immediately regard our own thoughts in our own minds.... which are often vaguely formed, half-baked, easily distracted, and sometimes forgotten. Our thinking takes concentration and effort. So if I am "merely a thought in God's mind," what happens if God loses His train of thought? Do I get derailed too?
That's not a pleasant thought. I'm glad that's not a proper application of the analogy.
The philosophy professor would explain that what we have here is a category error. We are talking about ontology -- on "being" and "having being." But when we speak of "thoughts," we are tempted to think the discussion is about epistemology -- on "knowledge" and what it means "to know" a thing.
The philosophy professor then has jolly fun tying this students into knots, talking about what it means for God to know a thing. In order for God to know something, it must exist. Right? But God is also the source of all being, right? So if God knows you, then you must exist. And if God doesn't know you, then you can't exist. So there!
=================================
This is all very confusing and unsettling to pagans and uncatechised Christians who have not had at least a grade-school introduction to the system of Aristotle and Aquinas.
When I have occasion to talk about such things (and I know a lot of Catholic homeschool kids, so it happens), I prefer to say "participation in God's Being" rather than "thoughts in God's Mind." They mean exactly the same thing, but our human experience of being is more solid and permanent than our experience of thoughts.
In Christian ontology, humanity exists by God's special invitation. God could, in theory, choose to forget me and annihilate my entire existence. But God does not choose to do so. He made me to participate in His immortal Being, and so I am an immortal being. God also made me Free, so that I can choose to exist in God's Presence -- or to exist apart from Him.
That makes Free Will a pretty dangerous thing. We need to exercise it responsibility.
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FredS
- A Rotten Mexican Woman
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Are we thoughts?
We're all thoughts in Biff's snow globe. On time he got high and thought up a person he called Troubadour. What a mess that turned out to be.
If we ever get to heaven boys, it ain't because we ain't done nothin' wrong. - Kris Kristofferson
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Biff
- Darth Floof Floof
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