9/5/2023 0 Comments Grim reaperGraham Oppy, perhaps the world’s most formidable anti-theistic philosopher, responds to a similar paradox concerning infinitely many bells, each of which rings at its appointed time with a deafening peal. Such a situation seems clearly conceivable-given the possibility of an actually infinite number of things-but leads to an impossibility: you cannot survive past midnight, and yet you cannot be killed by any Grim Reaper at any time! Grim Reaper #3 will strike you dead at 12:15 a.m., and so on. Grim Reaper #2 will strike you dead at 12:30 a.m. Grim Reaper #1 will strike you dead at 1:00 a.m. 259-61.įor those who are unfamiliar with the Pruss-Koons version, we are invited to imagine that there are denumerably infinitely many Grim Reapers (whom we may identify as gods, so as to forestall any physicalistic objections). There are a number of variations on the Grim Reaper Paradox, which you can read about in José Benardete’s entertaining book, Infinity: An Essay in Metaphysics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964), pp. It was a privilege as well as a good deal of fun to be involved in this conference honoring so great a thinker as Alvin Plantinga. Thanks for your tireless work, and I pray that the lord blesses your ministry as it has infinitely blessed my life. I was wondering what exactly your thoughts were on this argument and if you will be adding it to your repertoire of arguments against an eternal series of causal events. I've searched throughout the web and have found very little on this argument. I recently viewed your defense of the Kalam Cosmological Argument video at the Baylor University Alvin Plantinga conference, and I was intrigued by the new grim reaper argument against an infinite series of causal events. This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr.
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