An Actual Proof for God's Existence

This is an airtight, actual, proof for God's Existence:

1. By Definition God is Good.
2. An important aspect of the Good is Existence.
3. Since God is Good, God Exists.
4. By Definition, evil is a lessening of the Good or the opposite of the Good.
5. Since God is Good, it is impossible for God to be evil.

(C)Perpetual Copyright (2011) by Anthony J. Fejfar and Neothomism, P.C. (PA)

Alternate Proof for God's Existence:

1. By Definition God is Being.
2. By Definition Being is Actual.
3. By Definition the Actual is relatively real and or probably real.
4. By Definition Being is Good.
5. By Definition an important aspect of The Good is Existence.
6. By Definition the Good is Good and Good is the Good.
7. Since God is Being and since Being is Good, God is Good.
8. Since God is Good and since an important aspect of the Good is Existence, God Exists.
9. Therefore, God Exists.

(C)Perpetual Copyright (2011) by Anthony Faber and Neothomism, P.C. (PA)

Bernard Lonergan and the Virtually Unconditioned Judgment of Fact

A Photo of Jesuit Philosopher Bernard Lonergan

Philosopher, Bernard Lonergan defines a Fact Judgment as a Virtually Unconditioned Judgment of Fact, which is really a Provisional Judgment of Fact. You see, given Quantum Physics and Aunitary Reality, it is impossible to have absolute, objective, certainty about anything. In fact, Logic is really probable Logic which operates at 99.9999999% real probablity in the real world. However, human beings typically use the naive realist idea that reality is 100% real, when it really isn't. Lonergan saw this and thus taught that there is not absolute judgment of fact, but instead there is, at best, a provisional, "Virtually" unconditioned judgment of fact. As we know, the term, "virtual" really means "as if," in the same way we speak of the Virtual Reality of a Computer World. In fact, the only real judments of fact are probable judgments of fact. Any virtual judgment of fact is an "as if" absolute judgment of fact which is provisional, that is, subject to later revision on the basis of new and better facts of experience, new understanding, and a new provisional judgment of fact which is virtually real, or, a de facto absolute real for now, which itself is provision, and, subject to the possibility of later critique and revision. Put another way, any judgment of fact, stated as such, is a de facto absolute, subject to revision based upon experience and logical reasoning therefrom, or on the basis of experience, understanding, judgment and reflection.

(C)Perpetual Copyright (2011) by Anthony Faber and Neothomism, P.C. (PA)

Lonergan and Logical Positivism

Bernard Lonergan describes the Epistemology of the Cogntional Structure, which is that, reality is best known through the interrellated cognitive activities of: Experience, Understanding, Judgment and Reflection. On the other hand, Logical Positivism is an Epistemology which assertst that reality is best known through the cognitive activities of: logical reasoning from experience. In an attempt to reconcile these two positions, the Epistemology of Logical Positivism can be stated as: experience and logical reasoning in relation thereto
This logical positivist formulation is close to Lonergan because in addition to experience, logical reasoning requires a type of understanding which uses logical consistency as a requirement.

(C)Perpetual Copyright 2011 by Anthony J. Fejfar and Neothomism, P.C.

Another Proof for God's Existence

(C)Copyright By Anthony J. Fejfar and Neothomism, P.C.

The Validity of a Judicial Legal Opinion

When an Appellate Court issues a Judicial Opinion, a certain form is used. A valid Judicial Opinion uses the form of : Facts, Legal Issue(s), and Holding or Judgment. Now, you can see below that the form used above parallels and is consistent with Cognitive Psychology and the Scientific Method:

Judicial Opinion**********Cognitional Structure**************Scientific Method

1. Facts of the Case**********Experience ******************** Observed Facts

2. Legal Issues *************Understanding***************** Theory or Hypothesis

3. Holding/Judgment********Judgment/Reflection************ Confirmed
***********************************************************Hypothesis


Thus, you can see that Legal Reasoning, which starts with Facts, and then utilizes both Syllogistic Logic and Analogical Logic, and then Intuitive Judgment, based upon Reasonable Laws, results in a Legal Opinion which is Empircially Valid.

Kant and Hermeneutics

The idea that there is a Neumenal World and a Phenomenal World is attributed to the Philospher, Emmanuel Kant. Kant wrote that the phenomenal world is the world of sense experience, while the neumenal world is the world of ideas. Kant tells us that we can only really know the neumenal world of ideas, because, starting very early in childhood, human beings only really have sense experience which is interprested and constructed in light of ideas, or, meaning categories. Thus, Kant says that we never really know the phenomenal world of sense experience, as such. Philosopher, Bernard Lonergan says the same thing when he asserts that at Level 2 Consciousness, we only know the World Mediated by Meaning. Do we have any connection at all, then, with the material world of sense experience, which the empiricists claim that exists. Well, the Philosopher, Han Georg Gadamer tells us that us that there are "forestructures on knowing" which are in the human mind, prior to cogntition. Gadamer's position is a type of Neo-platonism, where he asserts that there are essentially, "Interpretive Forms" front loaded into the mind, just as Neo-platonists assert that there are "Immutable Platonic Forms" which are front loaded into the human mind, prior to cognition. However, there is yet another approach which asserts that we can know the real of the "world out there," which is Lonergan, stating that we know the world, or the real, through the cognitive process, of, experience, understanding, and then, judgment and reflection. Now, it is apparent that the cognitive level and operation of judgement and reflection involves a cognitive, intuitive function, not just ideal, analytic understanding. This is consistent with cogntive and epistemological, phenomenological reasearch which states the intuition involves high speed, preconscious or unconscious analogical thought processes in the mind, which can go quantum, and thus non-local at a distance, so that the person can have an immediate intuitive sympathy (Bergson) with an object or an idea which is out there is the physical world, and or, the historical world of the past.