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Single Idea 22894

[filed under theme 28. God / A. Divine Nature / 5. God and Time ]

Full Idea

Leibniz argues that if time is a thing in itself, and God is 'in' time, then God would be dependent for His existence on the existence of time.

Gist of Idea

If time were absolute that would make God's existence dependent on it

Source

report of Gottfried Leibniz (Letters to Samuel Clarke [1716]) by Adrian Bardon - Brief History of the Philosophy of Time 3 'Newton'

Book Ref

Bardon,Adrian: 'Brief History of the Philosophy of Time' [OUP 2013], p.57

A Reaction

Hence Leibniz says time is merely relations between events. Not sure what he thinks an event is. What is God made of? Is there some divine matter upon which God's existence must depend?

The 15 ideas from 'Letters to Samuel Clarke'

22894 If time were absolute that would make God's existence dependent on it [Leibniz, by Bardon]
2099 The existence of God, and all metaphysics, follows from the Principle of Sufficient Reason [Leibniz]
2098 The principle of sufficient reason is needed if we are to proceed from maths to physics [Leibniz]
3646 There is always a reason why things are thus rather than otherwise [Leibniz]
2100 Space and time are purely relative [Leibniz]
2101 If everything in the universe happened a year earlier, there would be no discernible difference [Leibniz]
2102 Atomism is irrational because it suggests that two atoms can be indistinguishable [Leibniz]
2103 The idea that the universe could be moved forward with no other change is just a fantasy [Leibniz]
2104 No reason could limit the quantity of matter, so there is no limit [Leibniz]
2105 Things are infinitely subdivisible and contain new worlds, which atoms would make impossible [Leibniz]
2106 The only simple things are monads, with no parts or extension [Leibniz]
2107 No time exists except instants, and instants are not even a part of time, so time does not exist [Leibniz]
20965 Leibniz upheld conservations of momentum and energy [Leibniz, by Papineau]
21346 The ratio between two lines can't be a feature of one, and cannot be in both [Leibniz]
19385 All simply substances are in harmony, because they all represent the one universe [Leibniz]