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Single Idea 5760

[filed under theme 28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / a. Cosmological Proof ]

Full Idea

For this power, whatever it is, through which creation remains in existence and in motion, I use the word which all people use, namely God.

Gist of Idea

The power through which creation remains in existence and motion I call 'God'

Source

Boethius (The Consolations of Philosophy [c.520], III.XII)

Book Ref

Boethius: 'The Consolations of Philosophy', ed/tr. Watts,V.E. [Penguin 1969], p.110

A Reaction

An interesting caution in the phrase 'whatever it is'. Boethius would have been very open-minded in discussion with modern science about the stability of nature. Personally I reject Boethius' theory, but don't have a better one. Cf Idea 1431.

Related Idea

The 24 ideas from Boethius

15035 If universals are not separate, we can isolate them by abstraction [Boethius, by Panaccio]
23308 Reasoning relates to understanding as time does to eternity [Boethius, by Sorabji]
5752 Where does evil come from if there is a god; where does good come from if there isn't? [Boethius]
5753 The regular events of this life could never be due to chance [Boethius]
5754 You can't control someone's free mind, only their body and possessions [Boethius]
5756 Happiness is a good which once obtained leaves nothing more to be desired [Boethius]
5757 God is the supreme good, so no source of goodness could take precedence over God [Boethius]
5758 God is the good [Boethius]
5759 Varied aims cannot be good because they differ, but only become good when they unify [Boethius]
5760 The power through which creation remains in existence and motion I call 'God' [Boethius]
5761 God can do anything, but he cannot do evil, so evil must be nothing [Boethius]
5763 The bad seek the good through desire, but the good through virtue, which is more natural [Boethius]
5762 The wicked want goodness, so they would not be wicked if they obtained it [Boethius]
5764 When people fall into wickedness they lose their human nature [Boethius]
5765 The reward of the good is to become gods [Boethius]
5766 If you could see the plan of Providence, you would not think there was evil anywhere [Boethius]
16692 Divine eternity is the all-at-once and complete possession of unending life [Boethius]
5767 Rational natures require free will, in order to have power of judgement [Boethius]
5768 God's universal foreknowledge seems opposed to free will [Boethius]
5769 Does foreknowledge cause necessity, or necessity cause foreknowledge? [Boethius]
5770 Rewards and punishments are not deserved if they don't arise from free movement of the mind [Boethius]
5771 Knowledge of present events doesn't make them necessary, so future events are no different [Boethius]
14665 We can call the quality of Plato 'Platonity', and say it is a quality which only he possesses [Boethius]
16661 There are two sorts of category - referring to things, and to circumstances of things [Boethius]