Disproving God

The Impossibility of Disproving the Existence of God

It may be thought that the existence of God can be disproved. One obvious difficulty with this contention is that it would entail the denial of the two proofs given in MOERF – God, Units F&G, and in NPEG Chaps Three through Five, which, in turn, would entail a myriad of intrinsic contradictions and denials of fact (including the denial of one’s own existence). But there is a more sweeping problem with this contention, namely, it cannot be accomplished in principle because the unrestricted nature of God renders all methods of disproof fruitless. This can be shown by referring back to the three ways of proving the truth or falsity of claims. Recall from MOERF - God, Unit F that a claim may be considered reasonable and responsible if:

1 it can be affirmed by rigorous public corroboration, or

2 its denial leads to an intrinsic contradiction, or

3 its denial leads to a contradiction of fact (a rigorously corroborated state of affairs).

None of these methods can be used to prove the nonexistence of God. The following will make this clear.

The first method (rigorous public corroboration) is quite useful for proving the existence of a reality, but useless for proving the nonexistence of a reality. If, for example, I wish to prove the existence of dogs, I need only experience one, and have other people corroborate that experience. However, if I wish to prove the nonexistence of, say, phoenixes, I would have to experience everything that there is to experience, be certain that I had exhausted the entire range of possible experiences, and notice that phoenixes are not there. This would seem to be a rather daunting prospect.

Proving the nonexistence of God by this method is even more daunting, for God, as defined (the absence of intrinsic or extrinsic parameters which make realities accessible to human sensation, imagination, and understanding), is, in principle, beyond human experience. If God were to be experienceable, God would have to make an aspect of Himself accessible to us (such as an experience of His love or beauty (as in mystical or religious experience).^[1] Therefore, the first method of disproof cannot be applied to an unconditioned, unrestricted being (God).

The second method (proving falsity through intrinsic contradiction), is equally fruitless. As noted above, contradictions arise out of the exclusionary properties of boundaries or restrictions (e.g., the boundaries of square exclude the boundaries of circle, or the boundaries of proton exclude the boundaries of electron, such that one cannot have a square-circle or a proton-electron in the same respect at the same place and time). An entity without any intrinsic or extrinsic boundaries or restrictions (i.e., an absolutely simple Reality) would be purely inclusive, and therefore, would not exclude anything extrinsically (from Itself) or intrinsically (“within” Itself). If there are no exclusionary properties intrinsic to “absolutely simple, unrestricted, unconditioned Reality,” then there can never be a basis for intrinsic contradiction. If there is no boundary or restriction, there is no basis for contradiction.

The third method (proving nonexistence through a contradiction of fact) is also fruitless for a similar reason. If a reality is to be proven contradictory to fact (i.e., to be a contradiction of a publicly corroborated state of affairs), it must be capable of being contradicted. For example, if I am to prove that an electron does not exist at a particular coordinate (x, y, z), then all I need do is prove that there is a proton (or some other contradictory particle or state of affairs) at that coordinate (x, y, z) in the same respect at the same time. The contradictory properties of electron and proton make this kind of disproof possible.

However, as noted above, contradiction is based on the exclusionary property of boundaries or restrictions. Now, if an entity has no intrinsic or extrinsic boundaries or restrictions (as has been defined of God), it does not exclude any bounded or restricted being from itself; it does not extrinsically exclude anything. Therefore it cannot be contradicted by any bounded or restricted being. Thus, one cannot say, “If protons exist, God cannot exist,” for the boundaries of protons will never exclude the boundarylessness of God. Similarly, one cannot say, “If squares exist, God cannot exist,” for the boundaries of square do not exclude the boundarylessness of God. The same holds true for all finite realities. The boundaries of a finite thing cannot exclude the boundarylessness of God. Therefore, nothing finite can ever be used to contradict the existence of God. This means that nothing finite (and therefore nothing in our world) could ever be the basis for disproving “God” (as defined).

Inasmuch as these three methods exhaust the scope of formal proof or disproof, it follows that the existence of God cannot be disproved in principle. Thus, given the above definition of “God” (i.e., as absolutely simple – without intrinsic or extrinsic boundaries or restrictions), it would seem that atheism could not be a rational enterprise in the same way as theism.