0415312884.Routledge.Divinity.and.Maximal.Greatness.Jan.2005.pdf

Divinity and Maximal Greatness

Divinity and Maximal Greatness stands in the notable tradition of perfect-being

theology. The book thoughtfully explicates the concept of divinity in terms of the

notion of maximal greatness – a being is divine if and only if he is maximally

great.

Daniel J. Hill elucidates maximal greatness and the properties in which it

consists: omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, beauty, and sempiternity.

He analyses each attribute, and argues that each is possibly exemplified. In

particular, he provides new analyses of omnipotence and omniscience that avoid

the philosophical pitfalls discussed in the literature. Moreover, he posits that every

divine being not only has full foreknowledge of what one will freely do, but also

has middle knowledge of what one would have freely done in non-actual

circumstances. He argues that all the divine attributes may be possessed together

by a being: a divine being may be omnipotent and yet impeccable and so unable

to sin, for example. Further, although it is impossible for him to sin, a divine being

is nevertheless praiseworthy for not sinning, and freely refrains from sinning.

Daniel J. Hill also claims that every divine being is maximally beautiful,

omnipresent, and everlasting. Without presuming that there is a divine being, he

seeks to elucidate what such a being would be like.

This rigorous exploration of divinity and maximal greatness represents the

highest standards of scholarship and will be welcomed by specialists in the fields

of philosophy, theology, and religion.

Daniel J. Hill teaches philosophy at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester.

His interests are logic, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. He is author of

the forthcoming Christian Philosophy: A–Z .

Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion

1 God and Goodness

A natural theological perspective

Mark Wynn

2 Divinity and Maximal Greatness

Daniel J. Hill

3Providence, Evil, and the Openness of God

William Hasker

Divinity and

Maximal Greatness

Daniel J. Hill

First published 2005

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.

“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s

collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”

or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,

now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,

or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN 0-203-49579-9 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-33843-X (Adobe eReader Format)

(Print Edition)

ISBN 0–415–31288–4

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: