Superior Beings. If They Exist, How Would We Know?: Game-Theoretic Implications of Omnipotence, Omniscience, Immortality, and Incomprehensibility

by Steven J. Brams

This book examines theology and the idea of a superior being in the context of game theory. The central question posed in this book 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.

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Paul Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

He begins with game theoretic analysis of all 2-player games where one of the players is God or a Superior Being (SB). He illustrates many games with Old Testament scenes. Then he gives formal (mathematically treatable) definitions of omniscience, immortality, omnipotence, etc. and adds multi-step games, how threats or changing your mind, etc. affect outcomes. Finally Brams notes that God's not-always-immediate tit-for-tat actions are necessary to make games undecidable, that is, so that we cannot prove His existence but must live by faith. His detailed calculations demonstrate that probabilistic lags in God's punishment and reward can preserve our free will. "... when we observe evil-contemptible as it is-God could well be acting in such a way as to minimize it ..., but how He does this we may never understand."

It would be interesting for someone to redo these analyses using Joseph Smith's description of God's character.

[Nick]

This book is about the game-theoretic consequences of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality and incomprehensibility, problems which seem to be hardly quantifiable.