blanketglossary

Omnipotence paradox

Definition

The omnipotence paradox is a family of paradoxes that arise with varying understandings of the concept of omnipotence. The paradox arises, for example, if one assumes that an omnipotent being has no limits and is capable of realizing any outcome, even a logically contradictory one such as creating a square circle. Atheological arguments based on the omnipotence paradox are sometimes described as evidence for countering theism. Other possible resolutions to the paradox hinge on the definition of omnipotence applied and the nature of God regarding this application and whether omnipotence is directed toward God himself or outward toward his external surroundings.

Related concepts

19th-century philosophyA. C. GraylingAbilene paradoxAcosmismActs 13Adi ShankaraAfrikan SpirAfterlifeAge of EnlightenmentAgnosticismAl-GhazaliAlbert CamusAlbrecht RitschlAlexander PrussAli Akbar RashadAllais paradoxAlvin PlantingaAncient Greek philosophyAndrea di Bonaiuto da FirenzeAnimismAnselm of CanterburyAnthony KennyAnthropopathismAntireligionAntoine Augustin CalmetAntony FlewApophatic theologyAppeal to the stoneApportionment paradoxArgument from beautyArgument from consciousnessArgument from degreeArgument from desireArgument from free willArgument from inconsistent revelationsArgument from loveArgument from miraclesArgument from moralityArgument from nonbeliefArgument from poor designArgument from reasonArgument from religious experienceAristotelian physicsAristotelianismArrow's impossibility theoremArrow information paradoxAtheismAtheism and religionAtheism during the Age of EnlightenmentAtheist's WagerAtheist's wagerAtheist feminismAtheistic existentialismAtheologyAtomic whirlAugustine of HippoAverroesAverroësAvicennaAyn RandBarber paradoxBarbershop paradoxBaron d'HolbachBaruch SpinozaBeliefBerry paradoxBertrand RussellBertrand paradox (economics)Bhartrhari's paradoxBirthday problemBlaise PascalBoethiusBoy or girl paradoxBraess' paradoxBrahmanBurali-Forti paradoxBuridan's assBuridan's bridgeC. S. LewisCalvinistCambridge University PressCard paradoxCataphatic theologyCatch-22 (logic)CentaurChainstore paradoxCharles HartshorneChicken or the eggChristian BibleChristian doctrineChristian existentialismChristian humanismChristological argumentChristopher HitchensCity of God (book)Coherence (fairness)Conceptions of GodCondorcet paradoxContemporary philosophyCornel WestCosmological argumentCreationismCreator deityCreator in BuddhismCriticism of atheismCriticism of religionCrocodile dilemmaCurry's paradoxD. Z. PhillipsDaniel DennettDavid HumeDe rerum naturaDecision-making paradoxDeismDemiurgeDemographics of atheismDemonologyDenis DiderotDesacralization of knowledgeDescartesDesiderius ErasmusDewi Zephaniah PhillipsDharmaDiscrimination against atheistsDivine command theoryDivine simplicityDowns–Thomson paradoxDream argumentDrinker paradoxDualism in cosmologyEarly modern philosophyEast Asian religionsEasterlin paradoxEdgeworth paradoxElliptic geometryEllsberg paradoxElymasEmil BrunnerEmma GoldmanEmunoth ve-DeothEnlightenment in BuddhismEpicurean paradoxEpimenides paradoxErasmusErnst CassirerErnst HaeckelErnst TroeltschEschatologyEthan AllenEthical egoismEthicsEthics in religionEuropean paradoxEuthyphro DilemmaEvil God challengeExclusivismExegesisExistence of GodExistentialismFaithFaith and rationalityFalse dilemmaFate of the unlearnedFeminist theologyFenno's paradoxFideismFine-tuned universeFitch's paradox of knowabilityForm of the GoodFredkin's paradoxFree choice inferenceFreethoughtFrida KahloFriedrich NietzscheFriedrich SchleiermacherFrithjof SchuonFumiko KanekoFundamentalismGabriel MarcelGaudapadaGaunilo of MarmoutiersGeorg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelGeorge BerkeleyGeorge I. MavrodesGeorge SantayanaGibson's paradoxGiffen goodGiovanni Pico della MirandolaGnosticismGodGod Is Not GreatGod SpeaksGod in Abrahamic religionsGod in ChristianityGod in HinduismGod in IslamGod in JainismGod in JudaismGod in MormonismGod in SikhismGod in the Baháʼí FaithGod of the gapsGottfried Wilhelm LeibnizGraham OppyGrelling–Nelson paradoxGödel's incompleteness theoremsGödel's ontological proofHarald HøffdingHarry FrankfurtHayyi RabbiHeat death paradoxHebrews 6Hedgehog's dilemmaHenotheismHeraclitusHerman PhilipseHilbert's paradox of the Grand HotelHistory of atheismHistory of religionHitchens's razorHoly SpiritHouse monotonicityHumanismHumanistic naturalismI know that I know nothingIcarus paradoxImmanuel KantImperative logicImplicit and explicit atheismIncarnation (Christianity)InclusivismIncome and fertilityIncompatible-properties argumentIntelligent designInventor's paradoxIrreligionIrresistible force paradoxIvair Gabriel HoffmannJ. L. MackieJ. L. SchellenbergJames Burke (science historian)James GleickJames VI and IJean-Luc MarionJean MeslierJevons paradoxJohann Gottfried HerderJohn HickJoseph MaréchalJulian BagginiKai Nielsen (philosopher)Kalam cosmological argumentKarl BarthKarl Christian Friedrich KrauseKarl MarxKavka's toxin puzzleKleene–Rosser paradoxKurt GödelLaw of non contradictionLawrence KraussLeap of faithLeontief paradoxLerner paradoxLev ShestovLewis' trilemmaLiar ParadoxLiar paradoxLiberal paradoxList of paradoxesLists of atheistsLogicLogical positivismLottery paradoxLoyal RueLucas paradoxLudwig FeuerbachLudwig WittgensteinMaimonidesMandeville's paradoxMarcion of SinopeMario BungeMartin BuberMartin HeideggerMartin LingsMathematics and GodMayfield's paradoxMedieval philosophyMeinongian argumentMenoMere addition paradoxMetaphysical naturalismMetzler paradoxMichael Lou MartinMichel OnfrayMikhail BakuninMind (journal)MiracleMircea EliadeMisotheismMokshaMonismMonotheismMonty Hall problemMoore's paradoxMorton's forkMysticismNatural-law argumentNatural theologyNaturalism (philosophy)Navigation paradoxNawal El SaadawiNegative and positive atheismNew AgeNew AtheismNew riddle of inductionNewcomb's problemNicholas WolterstorffNicolas MalebrancheNon-Euclidean geometryNondualismNonduality (spirituality)NontheismNontheistic religionNorman GeislerNo–no paradoxNyayakusumanjaliOccam's razorOccasionalismOlbers's paradoxOmnibenevolenceOmnipotenceOmnipresenceOmniscienceOntological argumentOpposite DayOriginal sinOutline of atheismPandeismPanentheismPantheismParadoxParadox of analysisParadox of competitionParadox of fictionParadox of hedonismParadox of nihilismParadox of prosperityParadox of the CourtParadox of thriftParadox of toilParadox of toleranceParadox of valueParadox of votingParadoxes of material implicationParadoxes of set theoryParliamentary sovereigntyParody religionParrondo's paradoxPascal's wagerPaul Draper (philosopher)Paul TillichPaul the ApostlePavel FlorenskyPerennial philosophyPersonal godPeter GeachPeter SingerPeter van InwagenPhilosophical ReviewPhilosophyPhilosophy of religionPinocchio paradoxPlato's beardPolytheismPossibilianismPre-Socratic philosophyPreface paradoxPreparedness paradoxPrevention paradoxPrinciples of PhilosophyPrisoner's dilemmaProblem of HellProblem of evilProblem of religious languageProblem of the creator of GodProcess theologyProductivity paradoxProject GutenbergProof of the TruthfulProslogionPseudo-Dionysius the AreopagiteQuine's paradoxRaven paradoxRavi ZachariasReformed epistemologyReincarnationReinhold NiebuhrRelationship between religion and scienceReligionReligious humanismReligious naturalismReligious philosophyReligious responses to the problem of evilReligious skepticismReligious textRené DescartesRené GuénonResource curseResurrection of JesusRichard's paradoxRichard DawkinsRichard SwinburneRobert Merrihew AdamsRudolf BultmannRudolf OttoRussell's paradoxRussell's teapotS. BudaevSaadia GaonSam HarrisScitovsky paradoxSecular Shrine TheorySecular ethicsSecular humanismSecular spiritualitySecularismSeddiqin argumentSemanticsSeparation of church and stateSergei BulgakovService recovery paradoxShamanismShendao shejiaoShip of TheseusSiegel's paradoxSimone de BeauvoirSleeping Beauty problemSorites paradoxSoulSpiritualism (beliefs)St. Petersburg paradoxStanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyState-population monotonicityState atheismSumma TheologicaSumma contra GentilesSummum bonumSøren KierkegaardTeleological argumentTemperature paradoxThe Antitrust ParadoxThe Day the Universe ChangedThe End of FaithThe God DelusionThe Green ParadoxThe System of NatureThealogyTheismTheodicyTheological noncognitivismTheological vetoTheologyTheories about religionTheories about religionsThomas AquinasThomas CarlyleThomas ChubbThree prisoners problemTractatus Logico-PhilosophicusTrademark argumentTranscendent theosophyTranscendental argument for the existence of GodTranscendentalismTullock paradoxTwo envelopes problemUltimate Boeing 747 gambitUnexpected hanging paradoxUniverseUnmoved moverUsman dan FodioVeridical paradoxVictor J. StengerVitalismVladimir Solovyov (philosopher)Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)Watchmaker analogyWestern esotericismWhat the Tortoise Said to AchillesWhite Horse DialogueWiccan views of divinityWilliam AlstonWilliam JamesWilliam Kingdon CliffordWilliam L. RoweWilliam Lane CraigWilliam WhewellWilliam WollastonWilliam of OckhamWillpower paradoxWittgenstein on Rules and Private LanguageWomanist theologyYablo's paradoxYosef QafihYujin NagasawaZeno's paradoxes

32 concepts already in your glossary