Wouldn't god be able to manipulate and break the laws of physics?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the relationship between God and the laws of physics, questioning whether a deity, having created these laws, could manipulate or break them. It is argued that the premise that a creator can manipulate their creation is not necessarily true, using analogies such as creating a robot or a child to illustrate that creators may not have absolute control over their creations. Additionally, the conversation explores the idea that the laws of physics cannot definitively prove or disprove God's existence, as these laws may not apply to an all-powerful being. There is a suggestion that the laws of physics could be fundamental constraints of existence itself, which would limit a deity's ability to alter them. The dialogue emphasizes the need for deeper philosophical exploration rather than mere assertions of belief.
time traveller d
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since god created all of existence includeing the very laws of physics that govern our universe then, couldn't god be able to manipulate and break the laws of physics that he created? also, wouldn't that mean that the laws of physics can not prove nor disprove god's existence? sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. this just sounded more like a philosophy question than a physics question.
 
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time traveller d said:
since god created all of existence includeing the very laws of physics that govern our universe
That's news to me. Certainly we can't take this statement for granted, but perhaps we can proceed on the provisional assumption that this is the case-- e.g. "assuming the universe was created by some god, what could we say about..." You should give us some idea of what you mean by "god" and explicate any properties this god might have that would be relevant to this discussion.

time traveller d said:
then, couldn't god be able to manipulate and break the laws of physics that he created?
Not necessarily. Your argument seems to rest on the truth of the conditional, "If A creates B, then A can manipulate B in whatever way A wishes." But this conditional is false. For instance, if I create a robot out of a cheesy science fiction movie, it does not follow that I will be able to do whatever I wish with this robot (perhaps I might try to reprogram it, but perhaps it would forcibly prevent me from doing that). Or, if I create a child with a woman, it certainly doesn't follow that we can manipulate that child to be whatever way we wish it to be.

time traveller d said:
also, wouldn't that mean that the laws of physics can not prove nor disprove god's existence?
The laws of physics cannot prove or disprove anything. Perhaps you meant to say that we cannot prove or disprove the existence of a god using only constraints presented to us by the laws of physics?
 
I follow this same line of reasoning. If there is an all-powerful being, I tend to believe the laws of physics don't necessarily have to apply to it.
 
hypnagogue said:
Perhaps you meant to say that we cannot prove or disprove the existence of a god using only constraints presented to us by the laws of physics?
i was trying to ask is since god created the laws of physics shouldn't he be able to manipulate and breaks the very laws of physics he made? i would think he would be able to. also, since he created the laws of physics and can manipulate and break these law's i would think that the laws of physics can not prove nor disprove his existence since these laws would not apply to him.
 
I would say its something like this forum. It was created and run by someone who can delete it if he wants. He can also set the rules, change them if he wants, and break them if he so pleases. The lovely mods :!) :!) :!) are like the actual laws. They never fail! :wink: but can be terminated at any moment :devil:
 
time traveller d said:
i was trying to ask is since god created the laws of physics shouldn't he be able to manipulate and breaks the very laws of physics he made? i would think he would be able to. also, since he created the laws of physics and can manipulate and break these law's i would think that the laws of physics can not prove nor disprove his existence since these laws would not apply to him.
All you've done is to restate your original post, without addressing any of the questions and comments that were presented. Saying "I would think X is true" without any deeper elaboration is perhaps a nice way of sharing one's opinion, but it does not make for good philosophical discussion.
 
What about the "laws of logic"? would a god be able to make a self-contradictory universe?

The reason I mention this is that there is the possibility that part of the "laws of physics" (and maybe even all of them) turn out to be inescapable consequences of the fact that something exists. Were that the case, the ability of such god to choose how to create a universe would be significantly constrained.
 
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