Divine Simplicity: A New Assessment

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

One of the attributes traditionally ascribed to God by medieval philosophers is divine simplicity. This article explores the various interpretations of divine simplicity presented by medieval thinkers, evaluating their philosophical plausibility. It addresses the concept of divine simplicity primarily with respect to the absence of plurality in the divine essence. While God is free from material multiplicity, the discussion highlights that analytical plurality–comprising existence and quiddity–can still exist. Regarding the conception of divine simplicity as pure actuality, the article argues that this concept is acceptable only concerning the attributes of the divine essence. A third interpretation posits that God's attributes are identical to His essence. If this interpretation means that God's attributes do not contribute to multiplicity within the divine essence, then it could also apply to humans and is not exclusive to God. However, if it implies a complete semantic and ontological identity between God and His attributes, this interpretation would be problematic. In conclusion, the article asserts that the concept of divine simplicity is valid in certain senses but not in others. 
Keywords 
Divine simplicity, medieval philosophers, divine attributes; sovereignty of God. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

References
Al-Mufid. (1992). Tashih al-itiqadat. Qom: al-Mo'tamar Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid. [in Arabic]
al-Saduq. (1993). Eʿteqādātal-Emāmīya. Qom: al-Mo'tamar al-Shaykh al-Mofid. [in Arabic]
Aquinas, T. (1981). Summa theologica. Christian Classics.
Avicenna. (1983a). Al-taʿliqat. Qom: Maktab al-Eʿlam al-Islami. [in Arabic]
Avicenna. (1983b). Ilahiyat al-shifa. Qum: Maktabah Ayatullah Mar’ashi Najafi. [in Arabic]
Avicenna. (1984). Al-mabda’ wa al-maʿad. Tehran: Mu’assasah-ye Motāle’āt-e Eslāmi. [in Arabic]
Avicenna. (1996). Al-isharat wa al-tanbihat. Qom: Nashr al-Balaghah. [in Arabic]
Bennett, D. (1969). The divine simplicity. The Journal of Philosophy, 66(19), 628–637. 
Craig, W. L. (2016). God over all. Oxford University Press.
Craig, W. L. (2017). God and abstract objects. Springer.
Gale, R. M. (1991). On the nature and existence of God. Cambridge University Press.
Galluzzo, G. (2015). A kind farewell to Platonism: For an Aristotelian understanding of kinds and properties. In M. J. Loux & G. Galluzzo (Eds.), The problems of universals in contemporary philosophy (pp. 85–113). Cambridge University Press.
Greeley, N. (2019). Divine simplicity: A reply to philosophical objections. In J. Minich & O. Kamel (Eds.), The Lord is one: Reclaiming divine simplicity. Davenant Press.
Hasker, W. (2016). Is divine simplicity a mistake? American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, 90(4), 699–725. doi:10.5840/acpq201691295
Hughes, C. (2018). Aquinas on the nature and implications of divine simplicity. European Journal for the Philosophy of Religion, 10(2), 1–22. 
Leftow, B. (2006). Divine simplicity. Faith and Philosophy, 23(4), 365–380. 
Misbah-Yazdi, M. (1999). Philosophical instructions. Binghamton University & Brigham Young University.
Morris, T. V. (1991). Our idea of God. InterVarsity Press.
Orilia, F., & Paoletti, M. P. (2020). Properties. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/properties/ 
Plantinga, A. (1980). Does God have a nature? Marquette University Press.
Sabzevārī, M. (1981). Taʿliqat alal al-shawahid al-rububiyyah. Mashhad: al-Markaz al-Jameʿie. [in Arabic]
Sadra, M. (1981). Al-asfar al-ʿaqliyya al-arbaʿa (Vol. 1). Qom: al-Mustafawi. [in Arabic]
Shobbar, S. A. (2003). Haq al-yaqin. Qom: Anvar al-Hoda [in Arabic] 
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics