actually a justified true belief is knowledge.
how this work?
is like this:
I ask you
-do you believe that 2+2=4
If you know matt your answer will be YES I BELIEVE
So, you are justified in believing that 2+2=4, you have a justified true belief, A KNOWLEDGE
Now, let us to suppose that you do not know matt, and your answer will be:
I BELIEVE that it is highly probable that 2+2=4.
Now, this is not a justified true belief, is not knowledge, is guessing with a high probability to being right.
The middle knowledge is about knowing not guessing.
Where comes god's middle knowledge/foreknowledge.
from knowing us very well?NO
It comes from knowing which world he created from all the possible worlds.
simplifying to two worlds.
1)god can create a world in which Peter freely deny Jesus (action A)
2)god can create a world in which Peter feely not deny Jesus (action not A)
So, god's foreknowledge will come from knowing which world he created, not from knowing what kind of person is Peter.
God knows that a person P will do action A in a given situation S, because he created the world in which the person P will do action A in the situation S.
Is not that god created a world in which he knows us very well, therefore he knows what we will do.
God, among an infinite number of possible worlds created this one, and he knows what we will do in any situation.
An exemple:
Peter in a given situation could deny or could not deny Jesus, freely.
So, god created the world in which Peter freely will choose to deny Jesus.
But is not that Peter is such a creation of god who in any given situation will deny Jesus.
In this world Peter deny Jesus, but exist other posible worlds in which he can not deny Jesus, but those worlds was not created, because god want to create this one.
If you want to say that what god knows is that Peter is such a being which in any given situation will deny Jesus, i will reply to you that such a person is no a free being at all.
Why?
Because Peter is god's creation, and god created him in such way that no matter the circumstances, he will deny Jesus, he has no election.
"What is being proposed in your rationale is explicitly defining the world as pre-determined, while I am giving you a rationale where free will is compatible with foreknowledge, where God's knowledge of your action is predicated upon Him knowing you very well. Instead of saying how this is incoherent, you re-assert your notion that - God knows these things, because He pre-determines them to happen in this way."
Ok, now I see you don't know what is middle knowledge.
You know that this discussion is about the supposed contradiction between free will and middle knowledge?
-a pure pre-deterministic world has no free will
-in a pure free world god has no foreknowledge
-the middle knowledge is about a predetermined world which allows free will
Go do your homework and come back
And, where in any of my rationale, have I proposed God ascribing probabilities to free willed action? Once again, you simply re-assert your position and call what I do X, or Y, without showing it as such. You're basically strawmanning. Let me flesh out what I mean:
- our universe is finite, thus it contains logical boundaries and a finite amount of objects, which God knows wholly, due to them being finite(thus actually knowable)
- we, human beings, are also such - we have logical boundaries and our essential nature is not infinite, - thus God wholly knows us
> thus, God through logical inference can know what a finite being may do in a finite environment. Proper logical inferences lead to true beliefs, which is what knowledge is. An example - you see a hole in the ground, and you know how holes come to be, thus you can infere that a certain amount of force HAVE BEEN applied, or NEED TO BE APPLIED IN THE FUTURE if you were to form yourself a hole. If X, then Y. Similarly, God knows you're X kind of person, in Y kind of situation, then He through logical inferences could arrive at you doing K.
The same way predictive theories in science are considered knowledge. Scientists wholly know gravity, they also know about some object's essential nature(mass, shape and form, density, etc.), thus when they know both(the object's essential nature and it's environment), they yield true results. The difference is that in human scientific endeavour, scientists may make mistakes, due to insufficient knowledge, or some other imperfection we have, but with God no such thing is taking place. God is not ignorant and does fully know His creation - both us and the universe, - so He yields those results unmistakebly.
Your second point, I don't get. I will simply comment on your conclusion in it - God created a world, where Peter will freely choose to deny Him. Even though, Peter didn't get the choice in which world to be created, he got the choice to deny Him or not. Peter denied Him. Your main reason for arguing is that foreknowledge isn't compatible with free will, but if Peter denies Him through his own will, regardless if God has chosen to create this world, or some other, the matter of fact is that God simply chose to place Peter in a situation, where he would freely deny Him. So, what's the issue exactly? If there are many different possible worlds, where we freely choose and do different things(in one world, I get to freely murder someone; in another I don't), the matter of fact is that God HAS TO CHOOSE ONE SPECIFIC ONE, so He has to arrange us outside of our power to decide where. But wherever He has placed us, we do what we do freely. So, your point stand false - for foreknowledge is indeed compatible iwth free will in such a case.
I am sorry, but could you be more substansive and less assertive, especially in light of your last point. Middleknowledge is when God knows what would one do when put in different circumstances. If I were a rich, spoiled brat I'd do X, and if I were a poor peasent I'd do Y. This is in simple terms. But to give an answer to your assertions:
- God arranges our free willed decisions to an end to His liking, where He arranges people making the free willed decisions they do, so that they can lead to, say, them murdering Christ on the Cross. However, it's done by using the knowledge of what they freely do and place them in such circumstances, as to do it. In such a scenario, the individuals possess free will, and God possesses middle knowledge. What exactly is the isssue, then? Just because God has the prerogative to arrange His creation - for He is the creator... it only makes sense that He arranges it to His liking - doesn't mean we have no free will.
- in a pure free world,where free will is random and of infinite potential and possibilities for choice, then God won't have foreknowledge. But we live in a world, where free will is based on essential nature - that is, according to one's essential nature, the decisions they make change accordingly for example -> if Peter is a greedy person and against charity(has "greed" as vice essential to his nature), he will choose acquiring money for himself over donating it to the poor. And we also live in a world, where the essential nature of the environment(the universe) has logical boundaries, and isn't infinite. For example, we cannot "choose" to fly. We cannot choose to not get old. We cannot choose to be taller. So, our choices are narrowed down to a finite degree, and the universe allows for a finite number of possible choice, for there are finite numbe rof possible situations one could be in. Thus, God can know those. If we were of inifinant capacity, and we made choices based on randomness(and not essential nature, which has its logical boundaries), then I'd agree with you. But the reality we are in isn't like this. Nor is our free will like this - based on randomness. We usually choose stuff, based on our essential character, and our essential character is finite.
- perhaps you're right about that, but only if you mean predetermined in the sense of God arranging the final outcome yielded, and not where God forces each and every one of us to do the things we do. The former I agree with - middle knowledge pre-determines the world to yield certain results(to God's desired end), but not through God forcing each and every decision made against individuals' personal will, but individuals themselves make the choices they do and God simply foreknows them and decides to instantiate them, so that they lead to a result to His liking. In this way, we still make free choices and have free will. God simply arranges the world(pre-determines it to lead to certain end result), in such a case, but it's through using His knowledge on what we will/would do, and not through Him leaving us no other choice and forcing us against our will to make the choices we make.
I hope you can get more substansive and less assertive. I have done my homework. Then again, I am not an expert, and I have still much to learn, but I don't think what I propose should be dismissed and handwaved away that easily, without any substance and effortlessly. I also see some misunderstandings on your part, especially when it comes to logic, but I don't go to tell you how you need to go and read and then come back and talk to me. Rather, I clarify and explain what I deem to be wrong. You should do the same. If not, let me know that you have no desire to do so, because then I'd simply cease dialoging with you.