Argumentum Ornithologicum
I think one of the most under-rated things about theology is the humor. While certainly not a constant laugh-factory, theologians can be a surprisingly witty bunch. I present what was read to our independent study class in Medieval theology the same day we were studying Anselm's Ontological Argument. This is an excerpt from Jorges Louis Borges, an author that I (lamentably) had never read before, and the piece is entitled "Ornithological Argument." Enjoy!
I close my eyes and see a flock of birds. The vision lasts a second or perhaps less; I dont know how many birds I saw. Were they a definite or an indefinite number? This problem involves the question of the existence of God. If God exists, the number is definite, because how many birds I saw is known to God. If God does not exist, the number is indefinite, because nobody was able to take count. In this case, I saw fewer than ten birds (let's say) and more than one; but I did not see nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, or two birds. I saw a number between ten and one, but not nine eight seven six five, etc. That number, as a whole number, is inconceivable; ergo God exists.
-Jorges Louis Borges, excerpted from The Maker p.29
I close my eyes and see a flock of birds. The vision lasts a second or perhaps less; I dont know how many birds I saw. Were they a definite or an indefinite number? This problem involves the question of the existence of God. If God exists, the number is definite, because how many birds I saw is known to God. If God does not exist, the number is indefinite, because nobody was able to take count. In this case, I saw fewer than ten birds (let's say) and more than one; but I did not see nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, or two birds. I saw a number between ten and one, but not nine eight seven six five, etc. That number, as a whole number, is inconceivable; ergo God exists.
-Jorges Louis Borges, excerpted from The Maker p.29
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