Complete Concept Molinism

European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 5 (1):93-108 (2013)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

A theoretically rigorous approach to the key problems of Molinism leads to a clear distinction between semantic and metaphysical problems. Answers to semantic problems do not provide answers to metaphysical problems that arise from the theory of middle knowledge. The so-called ‘grounding objection’ to Molinism raises a metaphysical problem. The most promising solution to it is a  revised form of the traditional ‘essence solution’. Inspired by Leibniz’s idea of a ‘notio completa’ (complete concept), we propose a mathematical model of ‘possibilistic’ (Molinist) complete concepts. They ground middle knowledge within the very being of the agents themselves. Molinist Complete Concepts can thus serve to reject consequence-style arguments against Molinism. They also allow the Molinist to safeguard a robustly libertarian notion of the ability to do otherwise

Links

PhilArchive

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Molinism and Theological Compatibilism.Christoph Jäger - 2013 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 5 (1):71-92.
Ockhamism vs Molinism, round 2: a reply to Warfield.T. Ryan Byerly - 2011 - Religious Studies 47 (4):503 - 511.
Yet another anti-molinist argument.Dean Zimmerman - 2009 - In Samuel Newlands & Larry M. Jorgensen (eds.), Metaphysics and the Good: Themes From the Philosophy of Robert Merrihew Adams. Oxford University Press.
Molinism, Open Theism, and Soteriological Luck.Mark B. Anderson - 2011 - Religious Studies 47 (3):371-381.
On Behalf of Maverick Molinism.Jonathan L. Kvanvig - 2002 - Faith and Philosophy 19 (3):348-357.
I. Applications of Molinism.Tilting At Molinism - 2011 - In Ken Perszyk (ed.), Molinism: The Contemporary Debate. Oxford University Press.
Recent Work on Molinism.Ken Perszyk - 2013 - Philosophy Compass 8 (8):755-770.
Molinism and Supercomprehension: Grounding Counterfactual Truth.John David Laing - 2000 - Dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Analytics

Added to PP
2016-01-11

Downloads
950 (#13,845)

6 months
115 (#30,428)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Godehard Brüntrup
Munich School of Philosophy

Citations of this work

Leibniz, a Friend of Molinism.Juan Garcia - 2018 - Res Philosophica 95 (3):397-420.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Are we free to break the laws?David Lewis - 1981 - Theoria 47 (3):113-21.
A Defense of Conditional Excluded Middle.Robert C. Stalnaker - 1981 - In William Leonard Harper, Robert Stalnaker & Glenn Pearce (eds.), Ifs. Dordrecht: D. Reidel. pp. 87-104.
Are We Free to Break the Laws?David Lewis - 1981 - In Gary Watson (ed.), Free Will. Oxford University Press.
The Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge.Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski - 1991 - New York: Oxford University Press.

View all 15 references / Add more references