Omniscience
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Omniscience (
Etymology
The word omniscience derives from the Latin word sciens ("to know" or "conscious") and the prefix omni ("all" or "every"), but also means "all-seeing".[1]
In religion
Buddhism
The topic of omniscience has been much debated in various Indian traditions, but no more so than by the Buddhists. After Dharmakirti's excursions into the subject of what constitutes a valid cognition, Śāntarakṣita and his student Kamalaśīla thoroughly investigated the subject in the Tattvasamgraha and its commentary the Panjika. The arguments in the text can be broadly grouped into four sections:
- The refutation that cognitions, either perceived, inferred, or otherwise, can be used to refute omniscience.
- A demonstration of the possibility of omniscience through apprehending the selfless universal nature of all knowables, by examining what it means to be ignorant and the nature of mind and awareness.
- A demonstration of the total omniscience where all individual characteristics (svalaksana) are available to the omniscient being.
- The specific demonstration of
Christianity
Some modern Christian theologians argue that God's omniscience is inherent rather than total, and that God chooses to limit his omniscience in order to preserve the free will and dignity of his creatures.[3] John Calvin, among other theologians of the 16th century, comfortable with the definition of God as being omniscient in the total sense, in order for worthy beings' abilities to choose freely, embraced the doctrine of predestination.[4]
Hinduism
In the Bhakti tradition of Vaishnavism, where Vishnu is worshipped as the supreme God, Vishnu is attributed with numerous qualities such as omniscience, energy, strength, lordship, vigour, and splendour.[5]
Islam
- To believe that God's divine decree and predestination
Say: Do you instruct God about your religion? But God knows all that is in the heavens and on the earth; God is Knowing of all things
It is believed that humans can only change their predestination (wealth, health, deed etc.) and not divine decree (date of birth, date of death, family etc.), thus allowing free will.
Baha'i Faith
Omniscience is an attribute of God, yet it is also an attribute that reveals sciences to humanity:
In like manner, the moment the word expressing My attribute “The Omniscient” issueth forth from My mouth, every created thing will, according to its capacity and limitations, be invested with the power to unfold the knowledge of the most marvelous sciences, and will be empowered to manifest them in the course of time at the bidding of Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
Jainism
In Jainism, omniscience is considered the highest type of perception. In the words of a Jain scholar, "The perfect manifestation of the innate nature of the self, arising on the complete annihilation of the obstructive veils, is called omniscience."[6]
Jainism views infinite knowledge as an inherent capability of every soul. Arihanta is the word used by Jains to refer to those human beings who have conquered all inner passions (like attachment, greed, pride, anger) and possess Kevala Jnana (infinite knowledge). They are said to be of two kinds:[7]
- Sāmānya kevali – omniscient beings (Kevalins) who are concerned with their own liberation.
- Tirthankara kevali – human beings who attain omniscience and then help others to achieve the same.[7]
Omniscience and free will
Whether omniscience, particularly regarding the choices that a human will make, is compatible with
A question arises: if an omniscient entity knows everything, even about its own decisions in the future, does it therefore forbid any free will to that entity? William Lane Craig states that the question subdivides into two:
- If God foreknows the occurrence of some event E, does E happen necessarily?[9]
- If some event E is contingent, how can God foreknow E's occurrence?[10]
However, this kind of argument fails to recognize its use of the modal fallacy. It is possible to show that the first premise of arguments like these is fallacious.[11][12]
Omniscience and the privacy of conscious experience
Some philosophers, such as
The philosopher Patrick Grim[13] most notably raised this issue. Linda Zagzebski[14] argued against this by introducing the notion of perfect empathy, a proposed relation that God can have to subjects that would allow God to have perfect knowledge of their conscious experience. William Mander[15] argued that God can only have such knowledge if our experiences are part of God's broader experience. Stephan Torre[16] claimed that God can have such knowledge if self-knowledge involves the ascription of properties, either to oneself or to others.
See also
- Epistemology
- Omnibenevolence
- Omniscient point-of-view, in writing, is to know everything that can be known about a character.
- Omnipotence
- Omnipresence
- Pantomath
- Self-awareness
References
- ^ a b "Definition of Omniscience".
- ^ McClintock, Sara L. (2010). Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason. Wisdom Publications.
- ISBN 0-8006-3153-6
- S2CID 170519806.
- ISBN 978-81-7120-226-3.
- ^ Mehta 1954, p. 99.
- ^ a b Sangave 2001, p. 16.
- ^ "Ron Barnette, a Bright-OMNISCIENCE AND FREEDOM". Valdosta.edu. 1999-09-16. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ^ "Purtill on Fatalism and Truth". Faith and Philosophy: 229–234. 1990.
- S2CID 170638788. Archived from the originalon 2 November 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ "Foreknowledge and Free Will". The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ^ Swartz, Norman (5 March 2011). "'The' Modal Fallacy". Simon Fraser University. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- JSTOR 2214928.
- )
- .
- .
Sources
- Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Aspects of Jaina religion (3 ed.), Bharatiya Jnanpith, ISBN 978-81-263-0626-8
- Mehta, Mohan Lal (1954), Outlines of Jaina Philosophy, Jain Mission Society (Original – the University of Michigan)[permanent dead link]
External links
- Wierenga, Edward. "Omniscience". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Omniscience and Divine Foreknowledge article in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy