Abstract

A distinction is drawn between the "outcome", Or result of a certain exercise of power, And the "act", Or the manner in which that result is accomplished. Omnipotence is then defined solely in terms of its possible outcomes, And the definition used to dispel certain "paradoxes" recently discussed in articles by j l mackie, P t geach and r g swinburne, Among others. Finally, It is argued that god's inability to do certain things, Such as telling a lie or breaking a promise, Is not incompatible with his omnipotence