MONOTHEISTIC CONCEPTIONS 93This applies both to second-order and higher-order modal propositions.
Regarding kinds of monotheism and atheism
A little reflection suggests that, since a monotheist thinks that God exists is
true, she can either take it to be a logically necessary truth or take it to be a
logically contingent truth. She cannot remain a monotheist and think it false.
Similarly, since an atheist thinks that God exists is false, she can take it to be
a logically necessary falsehood or a logically contingent falsehood.
Thus there are exactly four alternatives here:
1 (NG): it is a logically necessary truth that God exists.
2 (CG): it is a logically contingent truth that God exists.
3 N(not-G): it is a necessary truth that God does not exist.
4 C(not-G): it is a logically contingent falsehood that God exists.
What (NG) amounts to is this: Necessarily, it is true that God exists. What
(CG) amounts to is: It is true that God exists, and it is false that Necessarily,
it is true that God exists. Hence one sort of monotheism – that which accepts
(NG) or that which accepts (CG) – is false. Further, given the NN thesis,
whichever sort is false is necessarily false. Similarly, either N(not-G) or C(not-
G) is false, so one sort or the other of atheism is false. Further, whichever
sort of atheism is false is necessarily false.
Ultimate reality, then, according to monotheism, consists in the existence
of an omnipotent, omniscient, morally perfect self-conscious Being that cannot
depend for its existence on anything else. This Being either is such that
Necessarily, God exists is true or else such that God exists is true, and it is
logically necessary that God does not depend for existence on anything. The
difference between kinds of monotheism will come up again when we consider
arguments, pro and con, regarding monotheism.^9 ,^10
There are, then, different varieties of monotheism, some of which we have
described. There are different monotheistic notions regarding what has
ultimate reality in the sense of depending for its existence on nothing else.
A few comments regarding monotheism and non-ultimate
reality
Typically, monotheists have commonsensically held that there are persons
and there are physical objects. Monotheism typically holds that If there are