Thursday 17 March 2005

Infinite sets

For those of you that sometimes wonder what goes on in my head, let me show you a bit of it. I was thinking just now "Are there a finite number of angels?" and that got me wondering whether such a fact could be logically derived from the nature of God.

Assume that God exists and is the only being that is everywhere (omnipresent), all-knowing (omniscient) and all-powerful (omnipotent). Thus, angels are limited in space, knowledge and power individually. If they were infinite in number, then together they could be said to be everywhere, even if any individual was only in one particular place. By being everywhere as a group, they could certainly observe enough to know all the important things. And by their powers combined, (hehe - Captain Planet) they could accomplish great feats beyond the reach of any individual, and beyond even their own comprehension.

That is, as a group, an infinite set of angels could be comparable to God. This would mean either that there are a finite number of angels or that there are certain places they cannot go, certain things they cannot know and certain powers they cannot possess. This obviously begs the questions of how many angels are there or what are the specific limits on their power.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - In other words, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
PPS - This is a question I am not qualified to answer.

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