Perfection Is Not Immutable : What Is Perfection?

Before we begin our journey into the analysis of omnipotence, we need to frame this term within a particular definition, so that our discussion of the word will stay focused and clear. The word omnipotent itself means something having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force. Or in more modern and easy to understand terms: all-powerful. However, there is a caveat to such a simple definition. If we impose the meaning of the word omnipotence itself as the functional definition of one of God’s divine attributes, we encounter some problems. These problems were recognized early on in church history. The first problem that I will address is whether divine omnipotence means the ability to do anything, or whether it means the ability to a particular set of things. “But how art thou omnipotent, if thou art not capable of all things?” According to Anselm, we need to distinguish acts of doing into two categories. One category is the act of doing something that is powerful. The second category is the act of doing something that is impotent, or showing weakness. When a being performs an act that is impotent, it also gives the forces which are contrary to that being greater power over itself. An example that Anselm gives to demonstrate an impotent act is the ability to become corrupted. Being corruptible is worse than being incorruptible. When you are corruptible,

Perfection? Can any one person be perfect? Benjamin Franklin believed that he could accomplish this task. Benjamin Franklin was known for being a cognizant and diligent perfectionist. During his lifetime, many people were concerned with correcting themselves of any fault that they may have had. Benjamin Franklin did have an interesting way to proclaim how he, could show everyone how to be perfect. He believes that he can make himself perfect. Even though his ways of being perfect are not the same as everyone else's ideas, he still tries to show them he can be perfect. In his essay "Arriving at Perfection" Benjamin Franklin tries to tell everyone how he will be perfect and how he is going to actually accomplish this task.

I have an idea of a perfect being; it must contain in reality all the

However, even this image of perfection (beautifully visualised in that crisp whiteness and brilliant green) is imperfect - and, even more disturbingly, Foulcher argues that all ideal conceptions are fallible, in an insistent repetition:

Society experienced to achieve perfection in many ways, almost since the beginning of humanity, and is almost impossible so many attempts fail and cause severe consequences. In “the perfect match” by Ken Liu, short story and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, short story. Perfection is people ignoring what really matter. People are not unique anymore because society is limiting with an idea of what is not accepted or normal is not perfect. Societies’ desire of perfection makes people go desperate and feel alone.

By perfect we mean, “In the image, but not the likeness, of God” (Pojman 74). Hick believed that we are imperfect beings living in an imperfect world so that we cannot try to become like God. In other words, God is giving us this gift. The problem with gift arises when we assume that human beings are always right, or infallible. In John Hick’s Philosophy of Religion, he stated, “No one could ever injure anyone else” (Pojman 74). Hick held the strong view that if humans had the quality of perfection, then this world would not be “the best of all possible worlds” for all our moral concepts and emotional attachments would be non-existent (Pojman 74).

Is there such a place where ideal perfection exists? Can our views on social, political, and moral issues ever concur with one another? The answer to these questions is simple - no. The world we live in today is full of social, political, and moral imperfections that hinder our ability to live a life free of evil. In Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven, this imperfect lifestyle is the foundation on which the desire for a utopian society sits. The American Heritage Dictionary defines reality as the totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence . For George Orr, the protagonist in the novel, his dreams actually become reality. Through his gift of effective dreaming,

The writer ends the essay with a conclusion taking a form of reflection. The writer gives a different definition to perfection other than the one he uses to consider before. So he decided Perfection doesn’t mean getting good grades or having a good personality. Yet, perfection mean strong character and good personnel

This argument gives the concept that God is pure actuality, if God is indeed pure actuality then there is no potential for God to be any different from what he already is.

From this first argument comes the ontological argument, which goes like this; “all ideas come from either experience or are put-there (born with). I have an idea of an infinitely perfect being, but I

Descartes raises the idea that maybe he could be perfect. He says that all of his imperfections are potentials to his perfection. If he was perfect, then

Therefore, since God is a perfect being and Descartes is not, the idea of God as perfect could not have originated from Descartes, but instead must have been planted by God. In Meditation IV, Descartes explains that God is not a deceiver since deception is dependent on some kind of imperfection and there is no such thing as in imperfect God. How then, Descartes questions, does error exist if we come from a perfect God? He answers that error does not come from the mind itself, but instead from its premature judgments – indicating the gift of free will – and that these errors can be avoided through careful reasoning. Furthermore, things that are once found to be absolutely certain can be viewed as undoubtedly true by principle since God is not a

First, many theologians have assumed that if God is all-powerful, omnipotent, which the Bible clearly teaches (e.g., 1Chron 29:11; Jer 32:17; Mt 19:26; Rev 1:8; 19:6), that nothing in his creation can ever thwart his will. At the very least, it is reasoned, God

One possible answer is the fact that we can not see what God’s plans are, and so in the scheme of the entire universe our error could be making everything perfect. A second and more in-depth answer Descartes argues errors are mistaken judgments. When looking at what a judgment is composed of, one finds it involves two things, the intellect and the will. Both are faculties of the soul or self; whose existence is proved in the second meditation. The Intellect is limited, “through the intellect alone, [one] merely perceives ideas about which [one] can render a judgment. Strictly speaking, no error is to be found in the intellect when properly viewed in this manner.” (56) There is no error because the intellect does not make a judgment it simply takes in information. Descartes says error arises when the will affirms or denies a judgment the intellect has

Omnipotent quite literally means all powerful, Omni- all, potent-powerful. Most theists believe there to be one all-powerful, perfect being, so the idea of an omnipotent being is essential to most western religions. I will focus on Christianity, throughout my essay to allow me to focus on the question without getting sucked into discussing the different religious point of views. So the God we speak of is the traditional Christian one unless otherwise specified. There are plenty of quotes directly from the bible that promotes God as all-powerful, though omnipotent is a later word. “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.” (Job 37:23) The discussion of how to define God is an essential one to theists as it can cause a lot of problems. If for example, we raise questions such as if God is all powerful why is there suffering in the world? Before we can move on to problems with this definition and other definitions we first need to look at them in some more depth. In