Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Bosse  The Incoherent Stone
Consider the object that has the following two properties: (1) ‘stoniness’, and (2) “too heavy for God to lift.” In order for this object to be self-contradictory, then (1) must be inconsistent with (2) in some sense. From a Christian perspective, all things have been created by God and are sustained by Him (Col. 1:16-17). As such, any object that is a stone is an object created by God. All objects created by God are objects that can be lifted by God. Therefore, any object that has the property of ‘stoniness’ is an object that can be lifted by God. From this, it can be shown that “a stone too heavy for God to lift” is self-contradictory. The Christian argues (via Mavrodes and Aquinas) that since such self-contradictory objects cannot exist, then God cannot create such objects, and God’s not being able to create such objects in no way militates against His omnipotence. |
I think you are on the right path, but I think there is another solution. And it does not need a strictly "Christian perspective". The contradiction is in the concept of a stone with a mass so great that it can not be lifted by any force. We can simply look at the idea of force and mass and see that a mass too great to be moved (or two masses two great to be separated) by any definable force is self contradictory and therefore incoherent.
Think of it this way. The idea of a stone too heavy to be lifted, is like finding a number that is greater than the largest natural number. But by definition, for every natural number n, there is a number m that equals n+1. So, there is no number greater than the highest natural number, because there is no highest natural number.
The question is a logical trap. All you need to demonstrate is that the question implies a self-contradiction is and is therefore incoherent. There is no direct answer to the question because the question itself is nonsensical.
Now a coherent question would be, can God cause a contradiction to be true. And the only rational answer would be that it is unknowable because a true contradiction is rationally inconceivable. As a Christian we can reply that our concept of God, revealed to us in Scripture, can not lie and is not irrational; so we have no reason to say God can cause a necessarily false conclusion to be true.