- Professor: “Can God create a rock so big He cannot lift it?”
- Student: “In which direction do you lift an infinite rock?”
You may have heard the question, “Can God create a rock so big He cannot lift it?” I intend to demonstrate that the problem or paradox does not depend on the existence of an omnipotent being, at least not a logical being. So let us begin by asking the question anew. Can a natural universe produce an immovable rock?
Suppose that there is an alternate universe, and in that universe there is nothing besides a rock. Some find a multiverse comforting, because it seems to offer an explanation for the origin of this universe without any supernatural means. I will not argue the point at the moment. Let’s call the alternate universe the rockiverse. The question for this scenario is as follows. Is there any natural force within the entire rockiverse that can lift its solitary rock? Is it the strong nuclear force? Gravity? Some other powerful force? If you are still searching your mental database or Google for other forces, you have missed something very significant here in our rockiverse. The problem has less to do with the power of forces and more to do with meaning. What does the word “lift” mean?
To define lift, let’s travel in our minds back to this universe. There wouldn’t be any room in the rockiverse for us anyhow. What does the word “lift” mean here? Normally, it means that we are moving an object from a lower position to a higher position. However, that can present a problem on Earth. If I am lifting an object in America, and someone is lifting an object on the other side of the planet, then we are each moving an object in opposite directions. Furthermore, an astronaut on her way to the space station may find it difficult to find a vector describing lift. Perhaps we can say we mean any direction away from Earth. Perhaps we should mean that we are transporting the object from point A to point B, where point B is a place in the universe that does not yet contain the object. If I were to lift a rock from point A to point A, have I truly lifted the rock? No. No force is required to move it from its resting position to its same resting position, so I have effectively done nothing. The rockiverse has the insurmountable problem of lift by definition. If point A is where the rock rests in the rockiverse, and point B is where the rock is not present, then B is the target destination as defined by lift. But the rock is present in every corner of the rockiverse, so there is no point B! There is no empty space whatsoever, nothing but the solitary rock. So it is not a matter of finding a force powerful enough. It is the insurmountable problem of even defining the word lift. So hypothetically, nature within the rockiverse could produce a rock so large that it cannot be lifted, but this is due to having no logical way to define lift.
The Immovable Stone Paradox – A rock/ stone that fills an entire universe cannot be lifted because there is nowhere to lift it to. This is due to a problem with the meaning of the word “lift” in such a universe. (No need to invoke God or omnipotence here.) This should not cause anyone to redefine the meaning of “lift” or lose faith in the ability of lifting powers, since these words do have relevance in our universe.
So now let’s see what happens if we do invoke God. Perhaps his omnipotence can provide a new force or means of creating an immovable rock. However, as I previously explained, the type and/ or magnitude is not the problem. Even if there is a multiverse, filling the entire multiverse does not allow God to lift by definition of the word “lift.” The only rock to match God’s unlimited strength is an infinite rock. Now there are problems with infinity and definition. Is infinity bigger than infinity? Is an infinite rock a physical, material thing? Where does one move an infinite rock to?
As many have pointed out, there is a list of things God cannot do, including lying and contradicting Himself. If there is a paradox that seems to go against our human logic, it may still be logical in God’s mind, or else it is totally illogical and therefore impossible. God’s omnipotence means that He can do anything He wants to do, although He is a being with a range of desires. Apparently, He did not want to create a rockiverse. He would rather focus on creating a rock that orbits at just the right distance from a star, so that life including intelligent life could flourish on this rock we call Earth.
mathofgod 