The simplicity of divine ideas: theistic conceptual realism and the doctrine of divine simplicity

Religious Studies 57 (3):385-402 (2021)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

There has been little discussion of the compatibility of Theistic Conceptual Realism with the doctrine of divine simplicity. On the one hand, if a plurality of universals is necessary to explain the character of particular things, there is reason to think this commits the proponent of TCR to the existence of a plurality of divine concepts. So the proponent of the DDS has aprima faciereason to reject TCR. On the other hand, many mediaeval philosophers accept both the existence of divine ideas and the DDS. In this article I draw on mediaeval and contemporary accounts of properties and divine simplicity to argue that the two theories are not logically incompatible.

Similar books and articles

The Flexibility of Divine Simplicity.Mark K. Spencer - 2017 - International Philosophical Quarterly 57 (2):123-139.
Simply Impossible: A Case Against Divine Simplicity.R. T. Mullins - 2013 - Journal of Reformed Theology 7 (2):181-203.
Divine Simplicity.Thomas Schärtl - 2018 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 10 (2):51-88.
The deadlock of absolute divine simplicity.Yann Schmitt - 2013 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 74 (1):117-130.
Divine Simplicity and Divine Freedom.Brian Leftow - 2015 - Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 89:45-56.
Making Sense of Divine Simplicity.Jeffrey E. Brower - 2008 - Faith and Philosophy 25 (1):3-30.
In Defense of Divine Truthmaker Simplicity.Timothy Pawl - 2019 - Res Philosophica 96 (1):63-75.
Against Divine Truthmaker Simplicity.Noël B. Saenz - 2014 - Faith and Philosophy 31 (4):460-474.
Aquinas on Divine Simplicity.John Lamont - 1997 - The Monist 80 (4):521-538.
Complexity without Composition.Jeff Steele & Thomas Williams - 2019 - American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 93 (4):611-631.

Analytics

Added to PP
2019-04-24

Downloads
1,005 (#13,397)

6 months
153 (#22,083)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Michelle Lynn Panchuk
Murray State University

Citations of this work

What is God's Power?Graham Renz - 2021 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 13 (3):87-112.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Perception and conceptual content.Alex Byrne - 2013 - In Matthias Steup & John Turri (eds.), Contemporary Debates in Epistemology. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Blackwell. pp. 231--250.
Perceptual experience has conceptual content.Bill Brewer - 2013 - In Matthias Steup & John Turri (eds.), Contemporary Debates in Epistemology. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Blackwell.
Absolute Creation.Thomas V. Morris & Christopher Menzel - 1986 - American Philosophical Quarterly 23 (4):353 - 362.

View all 26 references / Add more references