At 02:34 AM 4/6/98 -0500, Darin Sunley wrote:
>From the view of agents within simulations we create as being one
>ontological level down, we can imagine the agents that are one
>ontological level UP fomr us. Some theologians call them Gods.
>
>The framework of ontological levels gives some insights to classical
>theological arguments. Aquinas's arguments from First Cause can be
>restated to say "Within a given ontological level, there is a first
>effect, caused by an agent in a higher ontological level." Anselm's
>argument can be characterized as "There is a highest ontological level."
>Aquinas and Anselm characterized these statements as proves, but in fact
>they are statements, which, if both proven, would serve as a prove for
>the existance of God.
These two claims are clearly contradictory. We cannot both accept the claim that "any given ontological level has a higher ontological level" and "there is a highest ontological level." The highest ontological level has no higher ontological level, violating the first claim.
-Dan
-IF THE END DOESN'T JUSTIFY THE MEANS-
-THEN WHAT DOES-