7: Defining Justice

Alright, so last time we ended off with discussing whether evil actually exists. Regardless of how we define evil, though, arguments about why bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people abound.

It seems as though a perfectly just God wouldn’t allow such things to happen. Let’s take a moment to examine justice, though, shall we? This was a very interesting question in ancient Greece. In fact, Plato wrote an entire book devoted to the subject. Plato’s Republic eventually became the epitome of pre-Aristotelean philosophy, and is still considered one of the greatest and most essential works of philosophy ever written.

Within that book, justice is first defined as everyone getting what they deserve. This is the definition most people operate off of. By this definition, the problem of pain and injustice becomes very problematic. A just, powerful God would not allow good people to be dealt injustice and bad people to receive good things.

However, the book goes on for a considerably longer time. Throughout the argument, Plato, speaking through Socrates, brings about a new definition of justice. After another eight books of debate, the new definition is decided. The new definition of justice, given by Plato, is each man living as he should, “going about his own business.”

Now, this is a slightly unusual definition, but it makes more sense when compared to the other three major virtues of Plato, wisdom, temperance, and courage. In the individual man, justice is the virtue that unifies the other three.

This is not the avenue to debate that definition of justice (for those interested, feel free to read the Republic. It’s a very enlightening read and a fantastic introduction to the world of philosophy.), so we’re going to move on.

Now, let’s take a minute and discuss this principle of divine justice. Do bad things happen to good people? Yes. Do good things happen to bad people? Also yes. Now, if we discuss things on a purely mortal level, it doesn’t make sense. There seems to be no standard of cosmic justice. Things seem to be random. People die, others live, people prosper, others fall flat, and it all seems completely arbitrary, right?

Well, let’s take a step back. To the Christian, there’s a bit more to the justice system. It’s not just these 60-90 years on earth. While life doesn’t seem to be completely fair, and things really don’t make sense, things tend to fall together better when considering the possibility that this may not be all there is.

First, let’s look at one thing. Crime. Crime happens, good people get murdered, bad people get out of being prosecuted. This doesn’t seem fair at all. But the idea that a just God would prevent it completely removes the possibility of human free will. Now, the fact that humans have the freedom to choose is pretty much undeniable. I can choose what I want to have for breakfast, or I can choose what time I want to go to bed, and so on.

The next question, then, is obvious. Why would a just God give free will if he knew that humans would abuse it (part of the all-knowing part)? Well, it comes from the definition of love (which will be elaborated upon later, or can be introduced here). Basically, though, the Christian idea of love is an act of the will. A robot cannot love. God gave humans free will to give them the capacity to love (again, this is a topic that will be covered in depth later).

Okay, so that explains the human element of why it’s possible. But what about things that humans don’t control? Things such as natural disasters and disease? And what about the justice after the humans make their choices? These topics will be discussed next time.

6. Defining Evil

I know last time I said it would be the last time we discuss the existence of God for a while, but I had a bit of inspiration and decided to tackle this piece sooner. This time around, we’ll be talking about the most-used argument for why God doesn’t exist, the problem of evil.

The problem of evil goes like this:

1.       If God exists, he is all powerful, all knowing, and all good.

2.       If God is all knowing, he knows where evil comes from and how to prevent it.

3.       If God is all good, he desires to prevent evil.

4.       If God is all powerful, he is able to prevent evil.

5.       Evil exists.

6.       Therefore, an all powerful, all knowing, all good God does not exist.

At first glance, this seems to be a very powerful argument against the existence of God. But let’s break it down into pieces.

First, let’s define the terms.

                All-powerful: Able to do anything (except logical contradictions… A story for a different day)

                All- knowing: Knows everything

                All-good: In his essence, good, and desiring the good of his creation

                Evil: Ah… The tricky one. Evil is not merely pain and suffering. These are symptoms of evil. Although many today would say that evil can be found in suffering, it’s not always the case. For example, the pain of chemotherapy brings about a good thing, namely, treating cancer. If we define evil as only things which cause pain, chemotherapy and many other medical procedures would be evil, making doctors… well, basically evil. But that’s not the case. I’m going to propose a new definition for evil- the absence of the good.

Our entire system of language, and even philosophy, reflects this definition. Good things are always gained. Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, they are all seen as being gained. Ignorance is not something gained, but the absence of knowledge. Likewise, when discussing moral systems, those with stricter morals are often seen as being “above” the “common people,” as though they have gained more morals.

Similarly, there are examples in other fields, such as physics. Cold is not in itself a positive quantity. It is actually just the absence of heat. Darkness is not on its own a positive thing. Darkness is merely the absence of light. Death is not a positive thing. A thing does not gain the quality of not being alive. It loses the quality of being alive.

Now, to solidify this position, let’s take a look at an example of something pretty much everyone would agree to be evil: murder.

At first glance, murder seems like an actual thing. It’s an act that is carried out. However, let’s boil that down a bit.

The actual act of the murder is merely the end result of a chain of many things and is not in itself the only part of evil being done.

Where does murder come from? It comes, from the very beginning, for a lack of respect for human life. How do we know this? Because the murderer, to some degree, believes that he is somehow greater than or above his victim. The root cause is a deficiency of respect, a missing virtue.

Now, I do realize that we haven’t actually answered the argument yet. There will be more discussion of it next time.

5. The End of the Proof

After a few posts, it’s time to finish out this argument for God’s existence. First, let’s recap where we’ve been.

1.       We established that everything that exists does so only in relation to everything else that exists. Nothing in the universe exists completely independently.

2.       In each instant, everything is depending upon everything else for its existence, because of the very nature of existing in relation to everything else. We called this the network of coexistence.

3.       Everything is equally dependent upon everything else to exist.

4.       Nothing in the universe possesses existence by its own nature.

5.       Because nothing can give what it doesn’t have, nothing in the universe can give existence to anything else in the network its own existence in each moment. Remember, this is not cause and effect. This is in a single instant.

6.       There must be something outside the network that possesses existence and can give it to everything else in the network.

7.       This source of existence, we call God.

Alright, there’s a step by step look at what this proof is all about. Now, there are a few characteristics of God that we already established were necessary in order for this source of existence, God, to, well, give existence.

1.       It must be one and simple, because any sort of division within this source of existence would require a secondary network of coexistence. One part would ultimately be responsible for holding the rest in existence.

2.       It must be present to all things at all times in order for things to exist. If it wasn’t present to something, that thing would have no way to participate in existence. In order for anything to exist at all, it must receive its existence from this source. Note that this does not mean that those things that exist must know that it is present, simply that it gives existence to all things.

3.       It must also be present in its entirety to all things. Because there are no parts in it, and it must be present to all things, its entirety must be present. 

4.       It must be unchanging. The fancy word for this is “immutable.” It’s already been established that it can’t have parts and that it must be present to all things in its entirety. Because it has no parts and must in its entirety be present, it cannot change. Why? Because if its presence within something were to change, its presence in all things would have to change, again, because it has no parts and must be present in its entirety.

Now, with all of this, there is only one conclusion left to be drawn about this source of existence. It must possess existence by its very nature. Why? Because a thing cannot give what it does not have. This source of existence, which we are calling God, must by its very nature exist. Its nature literally is existence itself. And that is the God we worship. The idea of some magical butler in the sky catering to our every wish is a distinctly non-Catholic idea of God. It’s also a distinctly false idea of God. The God of the Church is existence itself, at all times and in all places fully present within everything that exists, holding everything in existence in every instant.

Now, one final word. This will probably be the last post about the existence of God I do for a while. I do want to make one thing clear. Science will never be able to state through an experiment whether or not God exists. The very idea of God prevents that. Any God that exists must be, by nature, supernatural, or above nature. Humans are natural beings. We live within nature. We are literally not capable of measuring anything outside of nature. Why? Because we do not possess the ability, and never will, because we can only work with the laws of nature. Any being above nature will not be bound by these. The existence of God is a question for philosophy, not science.

4: Clearing the Air

     Alright, before we can continue, I think it’s necessary to clear up a few of the more ambiguous things that have come up over the last two posts (here and here). This will just be a short little thing, anybody with any more questions, feel free to add them in the comments, I’ll check them and update this periodically.

1.       This proof has nothing to do with cause and effect.

The proof is not one of the origins of anything or anything like that. Instead, it focuses on how things are at any single instant.

2.       We are not dealing with what could be.

The only thing we’re dealing with here is what actually is. While there is a nearly infinite number of possibilities for what could possibly be, the only thing we have to talk about honestly existing is what actually is. The moment is as it is and cannot be otherwise. It could have been otherwise, but once the moment comes into existence, it cannot be otherwise, similar to quantum uncertainty, where something could be both a particle and a wave, but once it is measured, it cannot become the other.

3.       We’re not done with this proof yet.

There are certain parts that need to be flushed out a bit more, and some more defining needs to be done. This will be coming out on Sunday.

4.       A vacuum is not nothing.

A perfect vacuum would, in theory, be nothing, but those are impossible in reality. Any vacuum that exists in the real universe, even space, contains particles and energy, both of which are considered a part of the network of coexistence previously discussed.

5.       This argument relies upon the network of coexistence

In order for the argument to continue, the network of coexistence must first be established. Without it, I will grant, the entire thing falls apart.

6.       What is meant by a moment

In this case, a moment does not mean an hour, a minute, or a second. A moment means a single instant, a span of time measured by a derivative. It is also being used to describe the very nature of the relationship between all things within that network of coexistence.

7.       What is meant by coexistence

In this argument, coexistence refers to the relationship between all things existing. At any instant, they are all codependent upon each other for their existence. This is not to say that the puzzle sitting on the table in Calgary caused the car accident in Calcutta. Instead, it is to say that in that specific instant, the puzzle on the table only exists as 7,000+ miles away from the car, which is also about a foot and a half away from the other car. Sure, the things can be described independently, but it cannot truthfully be said that they exist independently. This does not mean that everything in the network has an effect on anything else at any instant. Instead, it is to say that the universe we live in is purely relational- things within it only exist in relation to other things.

Finally, one more note of policy on my part. Due to a few recent… incidents, comments will now be moderated. Only constructive comments that actually lend to an open discussion will be allowed through. Profanities will be removed, and any comments that do nothing but criticize any parties will be deleted. I want a polite and open atmosphere. Alright, that’s all for now.

3: The Source of All that Is

Last time, we discovered the network of necessary coexistence that makes up the universe. Basically, everything exists together, completely intertwined with each other, such that if ANYTHING changed, the entire universe would change.

Now, this network must have a source. All these things in this network cannot be the source of their own existence, holding each other in existence, because they cannot exist without each other. In our picture of the dog, the water does not exist except with the ball, and the ball does not exist except with the water. They are completely dependent upon each other. In reality, you cannot take the ball away from the water and call it the same moment. It only exists as it is, the ball on the water, depending completely upon each other for their mutual existence.

Everything in this network is equally dependent upon each other. If anything is taken out, it all falls apart. It must have its source, somewhere, though. There must be something, somewhere, holding the entire network together, lending it existence. That source of existence must be outside of that network. Why? Because if it was within the network of coexistence, its existence would be entirely dependent upon the rest of the network. This mutual dependence in the network is much like an arch.

The way an arch is built, two columns are leaned toward each other, leaning on each other and holding each other up. However, they do not simply begin that way. At the top of the arch is a critically important point. This is called the keystone. If the keystone comes out, the entire arch crumbles. Likewise, without some sort of keystone to hold the universe in existence at every instant, it would simply vanish into nothingness, because nothing within that network is capable of supporting its own existence independent of the rest.

Now, this source of existence must have a few very distinct characteristics. We’ll take a look at them one by one.

First off, this source of existence must be simple. Alright, term defining time. What does simple mean? It doesn’t mean small or easy to understand. Instead, here, it is being used to mean not consisting of parts. It’s only one thing, one piece. Why is this necessary? Well, because if this source of existence were made of multiple different parts, in the end, there would be one part lending existence to the others. It is both one and simple.

It must also be present to all things. This source of all existence is the reason any thing exists at any given instant. To it, all moments are present, as each thing that exists receives its existence from this source. However, at the same time, the entirety of this source of existence must be present in all things. Why? Because we have already demonstrated that it is one and simple. It is impossible to divide something that is one with no parts. It is fully present in all things, completely and entirely.

It must be completely and totally present to everything in existence at every instant. Why? Because we’ve already demonstrated previously that in each instant, a new network of coexistence is created. Each instant, everything that exists is radically dependent upon each other, and if it were not receiving its existence from outside the network.

There is one last quality that this source of coexistence must have. It must be immutable, or unchanging. Why? Because if the source of that existence were to change at all, it would be present in different ways at different times. However, we have already demonstrated that this source of existence must be fully present in its entirety at every moment for anything to exist. If it were to change, things would suddenly pop in and out of existence.

I think this is far enough to take this today, we’ll continue to draw these ideas out in the next post.

2: The Network of Coexistence

It's time to begin the series. I ask for only one thing. We begin this series with only one assumption- That the Universe (or something) exists. From here, it will be purely logic moving forward. No biblical citations will be thrown out until after it's been proven that the Bible can be used. No assumptions based on any sort of religious tendencies will be used. It will be logic moving forward. Here we go.

So, to begin this series, we’re going to start with a blank slate. Basically, we have the Universe. That’s it. Everything in the Universe is existing together simultaneously. Let’s imagine the world as a movie, playing constantly forward (mostly because we don’t know how to rewind it). Everything progresses forward together, one instant becoming the next, moment to moment, forever onward. Now, pause.

We’re going to use this picture of a dog as our example. So, in this image, the dog is in midair after jumping off the pool deck, to get the ball, which is at just that position in the picture, while in the background, another dog is sitting on the deck. Now, all of those things, plus a thousand more, create this specific instant, captured here. Change any single one of those factors, and you’ve created a different moment.

N.B. We're dealing with what is, not what could possibly be. Yes, the dog could possibly be green or orange or a cat. But the fact of the matter is that the dog is not those.

If the dog was black, for example, the moment would change. If the ball was green, it would be a different moment. If the ball were on the right instead of the left, it would change the moment.

So all of these factors must themselves exist in order to create that specific instant. It could be said that they all must coexist, exist together, and that without everything just so, the moment wouldn’t exist. The moment is built by everything existing together, and if anything were to change, the moment would be different. In this instant, the dog only exists as jumping. The ball only exists as floating. They cannot truthfully be described otherwise. The dog cannot be said to be sitting. It is jumping. The ball cannot be described as rolling. It is floating.

N. B. It will become very important moving forward to deal with things honestly and objectively. Simply because something sounds nice will not be a good enough reason for it to be considered true. Just because something will hurt someone’s feelings is not a good enough reason for it to be false. It must actually be proven to be false. (Definitions for these terms will be coming in the future.)

Now, the dog is jumping, with the ball floating in the water. If the ball were still in midair, the moment would change. If the dog’s tail were on the right instead of the left, the moment would change. If even one tiny hair on that dog’s back were in a different place, it wouldn’t be the same instant. To create this instant, everything in the picture needs to be exactly where it is. That’s true of every moment everywhere in the universe. If any one thing were to change, such as a butterfly flapping its wings, the entire universe would be thrown into a different instant.

Everything must exist together, including energy. Everything is so radically bound together that they actually depend on each other for their very existence in each moment. The ball does not exist except in relation to the water and the dog, in every instant. And this extends to every corner of the universe. Everything in the universe coexists, exists together, and is dependent upon everything else to exist in that moment. If literally anything in the universe changes, if a single electron spins in the opposite direction, suddenly a new moment is created. This is the network of coexistence. And, to visualize, it would look something like this.

And this is where we’ll stop this time. We’ll pick up this network again next time.

1: Introduction- My Task

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything, I’m sorry about the gap. But I’m back. And this time, I have a mission. Last week, I saw the results of a Pew Research Poll that saw an 8% drop in faith among Americans. As I wondered why that was, I also began to look at some of the reasons people consistently cite for leaving the faith they grew up in. For many of them, the faith didn’t hold water to the modern scientific theories, thinking that science had disproven their faith somehow or that it was a mark of intelligence to leave that faith.

Meanwhile, in much of today’s culture, the world is becoming more and more hostile to any sort of faith, with anti-theists replacing atheists by and large. Instead of simply not believing in any sort of God, the line has been crossed to ridicule and deride those that do until they abandon that same faith. It’s a cycle of virulent anger that does little except tear down what already exists.

I’ve decided to undertake this journey to try to restore what is being destroyed. For well over a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire (410 AD, Visigoths sack Rome), the Catholic Church held on to the intellectual traditions of the ancient Romans. The Byzantine Empire, which survived Rome, was explicitly linked to its Catholic heritage for the next six hundred years, by which time those Greek and Roman writings had made their way back to Europe. Since that time, the Catholic Church had formed the underpinnings of Western Civilization, until a fateful Halloween night in 1517 led to the creation of the first major Protestant denomination.

In the five hundred years since then, the West has completely forgotten her background. It’s time to bring that back. From the Reformation, removing authority, the Enlightenment came and threw man off the precipice of certainty into a world of skepticism, confusion, and chaos. Since then, humanity has been floundering to try to find that stability that was lost, but in his arrogance, refuses to consider the possibility that he left his Mother wrongly.

So here begins my project. I endeavor to show how it is that the Church has been teaching truth for the last two thousand years, despite objections, that the Church has kept those foundations of civilization, despite the attempts to flee those very foundations. And I’ll do it by restoring the philosophical basis to what it was before all the straw men appeared, through attacks from both atheism and Protestantism.

The first topic I’ll be covering is the existence of God, as well as trying to remove any misconceptions or confusions about who God is. I’ll lightly tap the surface of the Trinity, then from there, move on to the conception of the human person. After that, there are a number of different roads to go down, so we’ll see where this series takes us. I hope you’ll join me.