A game-theoretical analysis of interactions between a human being and
an omnipotent and omniscient godlike being highlights the inherent
unknowability of the latter's superiority. In Divine Games, Steven
Brams analyzes games that a human being might play with an omnipotent
and omniscient godlike being. Drawing on game theory and his own
theory of moves, Brams combines the analysis of thorny theological
questions, suggested by Pascal's wager (which considers the rewards
and penalties associated with belief or nonbelief in God) and
Newcomb's problem (in which a godlike being has near omniscience) with
the analysis of several stories from the Hebrew Bible. Almost all of
these stories involve conflict between God or a surrogate and a human
player; their representation as games raises fundamental questions
about God's superiority. In some games God appears vulnerable (after
Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit in defiance of His command), in
other games his actions seem morally dubious (when He subjects Abraham
and Job to extreme tests of their faith), and in still other games He
has a propensity to hold grudges (in preventing Moses from entering
the Promised Land and in undermining the kingship of Saul). If the
behavior of a superior being is indistinguishable from that of an
ordinary human being, his existence would appear undecidable, or
inherently unknowable. Consequently, Brams argues that keeping an open
mind about the existence of a superior being is an appropriate
theological stance.
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Game Theory and the Undecidability of a Superior Being
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780262347808
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Random House Publishing Services
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter