Superior Beings. If They Exist, How Would We Know? (eBook)
XXIV, 202 Seiten
Springer New York (Verlag)
978-0-387-48077-0 (ISBN)
This book examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory. The central question posed in this book is: If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us?
The mathematical theory of games is used to define each of these qualities, and different assumptions about the rules of play in several theological games that might be played between ordinary human beings and superior beings like God are posited.
The same is true of applications of game theory to history, philosophy religion, and the other humanities. In particular, I know of no attempts to apply game theory to the kinds of p- losophy-of-religion and theology questions that I explored in Superior Beings, By contrast; the nexus between science and religion has been thoroughly analyzed using other methods of inquiry as evidenced by Charles L. Harper Jr (ed. ), Spiritual Information: 100 Perspectives on Science and Religion (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2006), a huge collection put together in honor of Sir John Templeton's ninetieth birthday Sir John, through the Templeton Foundation, is the primary propo- nent and the major benefactor of studies in science and religion today How science and religion are (or are not) connected is, of course, an old subject. It is also a controversial one, extending at least from Galileo's trial in 1633 to the teaching of evolution today. While game theory is a mathematical theory, Superior Beings is emphatically not a scientific work, wherein a theory is tested. Rather, it is an attempt to interpret and explain important philo- sophical, religious, and theological questions in terms of the rational choices of ordinary human beings, who are assumed to play games with a superior being. The game theory I use is nonstandard.
Acknowledgments 13
Contents 15
Introduction 21
The Rationality of Belief in a Superior Being 32
2.1. Introduction 32
2.2. The Revelation Game 34
2.3. The Revelation Game Paradox 38
2.4. The Knowability Games 43
2.6. Conclusions 58
Omniscience and Partial Omniscience 60
3.1. Introduction 60
3.2. Some Effects of Omniscience 62
3.3. Newcomb's Problem 65
3.4. Which Principle, and Is There a Conflict? 69
3.5. Newcomb's Problem Symmetricized: Prisoners' Dilemma 71
3.6. A Solution to Prisoners' Dilemina 73
3.7. Cooperation or Noncooperation? 76
3.8. Implications of Mutual Predictability for SB and P 79
3.9. Conclusions 83
The Paradox of Omniscience and the Theory of Moves 85
4.1. Introduction 85
4.2. The Paradox of Omniscience 87
4.3. A Resolution of the Paradox of Omniscience 90
4.4. Theory of Moves 93
4.5. A Second Paradox: Moves May Provide No Resolution 102
4.6. Conclusions 107
Omnipotence: Moving and Staying Power 109
5.1. Introduction 109
5.2. Moving Power 111
5.3. Is There a Paradox of Moving Power? 117
5.4. Theological Interpretations of Moving Power 119
5.5. Staying Power 122
5.6. An Algorithm for Determining S- Power Outcomes 126
5.7. M-Power Versus S-Poiver in the Commitment Game and Other Situations 133
5.8. Conclusions 138
Immortality and Incomprehen-sibility 140
6.1. Introduction 140
6.2. Threats and Immortality 141
6.3. Repeated Plays 145
6.4. Threat Power in the Punishment Game: When Immortality Is Decisive in an Asymmetrical Game 154
6.5. Deception by the Superior Being 158
6.6. The Truth Game and the Problem of Evil 163
6.7. Conclusions 171
Superior Beings: They May Be Undecidable 173
7.1. Introduction 173
7.2. Undecidability 174
7.3. Arbitrariness and Undecidability 180
Appendix 188
Glossary 193
Bibliography 200
Index 205
Erscheint lt. Verlag | 6.8.2007 |
---|---|
Zusatzinfo | XXIV, 202 p. 32 illus. |
Verlagsort | New York |
Sprache | englisch |
Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Erkenntnistheorie / Wissenschaftstheorie |
Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Angewandte Mathematik | |
Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Finanz- / Wirtschaftsmathematik | |
Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Statistik | |
Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Wahrscheinlichkeit / Kombinatorik | |
Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie | |
Technik | |
Wirtschaft ► Allgemeines / Lexika | |
Wirtschaft ► Volkswirtschaftslehre | |
Schlagworte | Experience • Game Theory • Idea • Knowledge • linear optimization |
ISBN-10 | 0-387-48077-3 / 0387480773 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-387-48077-0 / 9780387480770 |
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