Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 9, 2006

Averroës was one of the first philosophers to propose the omnipotence paradox

The omnipotence paradox is a philosophical paradox which arises when attempting to apply logic to the notion of an omnipotent being. The paradox is based around the question of whether or not an omnipotent being is able to perform actions that would limit its own omnipotence, thus becoming non-omnipotent. Some philosophers see this argument as proof of the impossibility of the existence of any such entity; others assert that the paradox arises from a misunderstanding or mischaracterization of the concept of omnipotence. In addition, several philosophers have considered the assumption that a being is either omnipotent or non-omnipotent to be a false dilemma, as it neglects the possibility of varying degrees of omnipotence. Often, the paradox is formulated in terms of the God of the Abrahamic religions, though this is not a requirement. Since the Middle Ages, philosophers have phrased the paradox in many ways, of which the classic example is, "Could an omnipotent being create a rock so heavy that even that being could not lift it?" This particular statement has subtle flaws, but as the most famous version, it still serves adequately for illustrating the different ways the paradox has been analyzed. (more...)

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