2 The Place of Chance in a World Sustained by God chs essay, want o examine a numberof interrelated snes in what might be called the metaphysics of divine scion: cretion, sustenance, law, micace, providence, and chance. Thus my tei eather marrow forthe topics considered. But it the topic chance that I shall be ‘working toward. My discssion of hese other topics a prolegomenon to my discussion of chance. (My discussion of cance iin tam, 8 Prolegomenon to a discussion of the problem of ev bur thas atopic for another dime. In the present essay I hal ay out some implications ‘of what I say about chance for the problem of el, but I shall not Srey discus this problem, much les suggest a solsion 0) ‘wil begin witha discussion of God tation vo a certain object that might variously be called “the word,” “the universe” “Creations” “the cosmos” or “nate.” I is neceaty for us to haves picture ofthis thing. I will provide a pictre tha is sceniealy waive and Plosophicallytendentious the woe consis of certain number of Small indivisible unite of matter Isl call “lemenary partes there i only one type of pate, and there are always us he same Particles, and they ae in constant motion in otherwie empty nbnte threedimensional space (the void"). “This picture could be called Newtonian picture, although I don't insist on the absoluce space or the “absolutes tre, and mathemateal time” of Newton, Ii 81 have sai, fom a selene pent of view, by Ras Mow, oprah (8) 198 Cone ‘dart ad by pros The Place of Chasce in a World Sustained by God 43 a naive picture. But if it were replaced with the sore of physical world picture provided by quant eld thea like quantum elena {and quant chromesyasmc, [donot hink tha his elacerent ‘would elec in any enental way the plosopicl points 1 want ro Irae thseone retain the aie itor not that Lam equipped fo hey on the dszasion ne terme provided by any oer per “The pices phlosophvally tendenous lt prespposes thatthe created worl eniey matrl. Bot that could eanly enough be “ange” Anyone who wan to suppose thatthe created world con ‘Sin or example, Cartan epom sy simply tjest my tsompion that ihe cemetary partes te all indvinble ts of matter, and ‘Shume dat some of them se nonapatal and ae expable f though! {Sila device could accommodate angels conceived 5 St, Thomas SNguins conceives angele) The gecralatons sll make about "de ‘Peery paris” in he sequel do noua any eet way prevappose Dar clementary pact asst nontinking thins. And the gee Slsusons T shal make sbom created persons do notin any essenal ‘tay preseppoe hat no crated pero 4 Cartesian 32 Tidving ven this ave and tendemoos picture of the world or sate, eat in bunt of splat plete thinking—to God In the flowing wa. ‘Gnd created the word by bringing erin clementary particles into cninence at some partcnsr moments thousand yes 460 oF {went billion years ago or some wich Figure. These partes were at the moment of the steaton sspended nthe voud-which is sheer Empinen and nots phy oljee like the modern space-time o he Ihodeen quantum vactm=and posesed of certain ial veloc. Ench, moreover, posssed certain ceal powers; tht each pov Sosed a certain intenac capacity to afer the motions of other pov ‘Now these particles yere {and are) ot capable of minting her selves in existence or of comervng their own causal powes: For one ff then to conus to ei i ncenary for God continuously to Fold tin existence For ito have te sme st of causal powers—she Sime sc of capaci co alec the moons of aver partes 3 Serco sana, its pees for Gao each nwa sap i Wiha ser of causal powers Foe tht mater, fora particle have. ‘Chance, Evil and Modal Skeptic fret ses of case powers 10 0¢ moe insta ifr that par See taped mth dere sow of powers thse inane To {fy tar Gol once crested, and ow usa, the word tt ty ne {ede than this tha God once exeated and now sustains cea pr Sor—forthe word or maure,ote common othe uve ating Store than the sum ofthese pars: Moreover every invidal ere {td hing tthe sum of eran ofthese partisan the pow she ‘tet ude about the cated univers a 4 whe canbe mage ost {Sch nividal eet hing efor example, God susan gen Sxisence and preserves its Sousa powers capacity to bear se ton fod, for examples aon unt the sum oa the acon He ‘Performs in sstaning in existence and preserving the cual poses SF the elementary pales that are the slmate constituents of te bridge: the powers that by whic they a0 afect one anothers to continue to form a configuration that tue s cert deste of sabi “Ad hi ei exer of Gasca eatin wh he axed world, He doe nt, for example, move parler” ono ns ‘ery suaghiorwardsese Rater, the pales move ove anothe, thei thee capacty to do of continosy supp by God Here an analogy Suppose that ro pie of ste von are woud round wih wives ands catert pated though the wires The two pieces of on then become electromagnet, andi they are lowe to one another and Ircevo move they Bopinto more invite ores ey ae verti upon each other Ie wold be odd to say thatthe prctator that & Stppling te cure tothe wits was moving te oo pes of on Tes more tial to sy shat the jnertr ls moving only leony and tha the piers fron are movbyg sac ther, this movement being Shunction ofthe elatvednpoiions so the Cowal pomets tat ae fin sem) being spp othe bythe genesaor “Pips everything | wate cosy abou the way in which God acts inand swsine the created wortd~-with one omisvon, We hve not yt tase the question whether the causal powers of» given particle ae onstan over ime Leu supp that tr at eae ry pearly oe ESE parce alvays, or alone vay, ha the sme hal powers tbe mcup a as sc ud wero an age Cota ‘The Place of Chance ix 3 World Sustained by God 45, “Thats, Gd always, o almost always, supplies i with the same set of causal powers. Now we have assumed, for the sake of convenience, that there only one type of slementary particle. seems restonable fo suppose that causal powers ar the only eelevant factor in catiying Elementary particles ito “types.” It would follow that the eausal pow: fre possctied by 4 gen parucle ata given time are almost certainly ‘orca with the eavsal powers possessed by any other particle any ‘other time. (This pict of God's scion i the world hasan interesting ‘consequence. Consider again the example of God's sustaining a bridge In exatence and preserving its causal powers. Th particles that com: pose the bridge woud have existed even ifthe brie had no, sine ‘here ate always dhe sume particles, ané—almost eraily—they would hve had the tame cusal powers. I follows that what God does in sustaining the Bridge in existence and preserving its causal powers i omething He would bave done eve if the bridge had never existed, tlthough, in that eae, this action would not have fallen under the fescripcion “sustaining the bridge in existence and preserving its ‘ual powers"), "Now suppose that God occasionally (and only momentary) sup- plied afew particles with causal powers differen fom thee normal powers. Suc an action would cause a certain part of the natural word {a diverge from the cvurse that part of the world would have taken if He had continued te supply the particles in that pare of the word withthe sraal complement of causil powers. Such a divergence would, presumably, spread—with decreasing amplitode—il i encompassed the ene universe. The eal stages of such a divergence we shall call ‘miracle, For example imagine that God momentary supplies nan ‘causal powers to the particles composing the water certain po, in Such a way that chose particles (im virtue of ther momentarily abmoe ‘nal effec on one another) fellow trajectories through the vid that they would not normaly have followed, and that, aa consequence, they rearrange themselves ino the configuration we call "wine”™—at Immatrl haman mand, br Ido’ and I woe. As for ang whe Utabe toe ‘Si tn ag oa mpc an ne“ Chance, ull, and Modal Skepticism Which moment God reverts to His usual policy and continues to supply ‘ach ofthe particles with is normal casal powers? hike this account of miracles better than either ofthe two alterna sive accounts Iknow of. On one account, miracle ean “intervention” into the couse of nature by God. But the word intervention” sec Imply that nature has some sort of native power, independent of Go's, and dhatin workings miracle, God har, ari wers 0 overpower vome part of nature. No thest can acept sch a picture ofthe relation of God to nature; this account of miracles provides better description fof what the dei says God dear do than of what the theist says God doce do the acount were elaborated, ear denon of marae mighr hr to be med Fo ‘Motley are svt reel wat ir ia hn su the rps nd Tien me ha Go saucer mand prc aw a yp mrs hag egraees menty amy SS ee aia ning sienna mere A eerie aes vo coe Sentara mar earner fee, cath ee ce terrae eee oniegeedy iter are 3 Rayo ieee tear oe te kno oth er fe Ov Engi Dion, a {he sometimes been sad to mesh "thea has never rrant anything Bet “person who Soren Sue iments Ee hemo oma opel oe nee ad ae eS apa pet meme eh ner Se cinanarveare tueraceaens nl — ee ng ole amine noc ecto of a er sheen r ‘The Place of Chance i @ World Sustamed by God 47 -Accoudng to the second alternative account, a miracle occurs when God causes an evct that ea "violation of the nw of nature” ke this alternative beer than the other, bur Uhave 2 rather techaica tbjeton ro Let us cal a contingent proposition a law of nature if would be true i God alvaye supplied the slementary paces with theie sonal exssl power, and would, moreover, be wue under any fondtions whaterer that were consistent sith this stipulation. For those who are familie with the philosophical ose ofthe concept of “possible words" ere is a more precise definition: A proposiion ia law of naure in a posible world se if eis 3 contingent proposition thot is rue in all yosble worlds in which elementary parties aly have the causal pewers they alays oF almost atays have in w Now ifthe proposition Liv law of natore, then we ean say tha an event ‘bolas the lave Lif the particles whose joint activity constites that ‘ret follow, while the event i going on, tajctris that are inconsist- nt with the uth of L- Roughly: An event wolaes law i the law hj Ciena ut Gol te pnt sorurvtdr conan ns Soe de tars ames Seer ue ce Riper perc ons SOOT nmrsantaps Cod bens Sd ts eco indicyapascmeninevieatirna es Sc Soy hy Se cee een oaahe ue be tito Codsall eg Bl Sy a tc tae pu Inthe Formac’ (which he Jeruslem he lover tween Bail 333 an Son of SCRA St id tad em SpE Sts coh Sa i mg TEER STAG Cas SEL Save gaod “ald the body ofthe esa {ima slightly mowited version, which takes ono account &