Analyzing Aseity. Issue 2 (February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Adams, Sarah; Robson, Jon
• Is Part Of: Canadian journal of philosophy. Volume 50:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 251
• Page End: 267
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Subjects: Aseity, -- divine independence, -- divine attributes, -- Anselmian theism, -- metaphysics, -- religion; Philosophy -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1017/can.2019.35
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-5091

Abstract

Abstract: The doctrine of divine aseity has played a significant role in the development of classical theism. However, very little attention has been paid in recent years to the question of how precisely aseity should be characterized. We argue that this neglect is unwarranted since extant characterizations of this central divine attribute quickly encounter difficulties. In particular, we present a new argument to show that the most widely accepted contemporary account of aseity is inconsistent. We then consider the prospects for developing a new account of aseity which avoids the pitfalls we have highlighted.