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    Avicenna's own distinction between essence and existence ... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→God's existence needs nothing other than itself — neither a substratum nor an efficient cause — in order for God to exist.

    Avicenna's own distinction between essence and existence entails that even in a Necessary Existent, existence must be 'added' to essence conceptually.

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    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

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    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Avicenna explicitly states essence and existence are mentally distinct in all beings except God, establishing a universal conceptual principle.
      ?

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    • 2.If existence were intrinsic to essence in the Necessary Existent, the distinction would collapse entirely, undermining Avicenna's metaphysical framework.
      ?

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    • 3.Conceptual distinction (distinctio rationis) doesn't require real separation, allowing essence and existence to differ mentally while remaining identical in reality.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.In the Necessary Existent, essence just *is* existence—there is nothing 'added,' even conceptually, since the concepts themselves would be identical.
      ?

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    • 2.Applying the essence-existence distinction universally conflates a valid principle for contingent beings with one inapplicable to necessary being itself.
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    Related

    Applying the essence-existence distinction universally conflates a valid princip...Avicenna explicitly states essence and existence are mentally distinct in all be...Conceptual distinction (distinctio rationis) doesn't require real separation, al...God's existence needs nothing other than itself — neither a substratum nor an ef...
    +2 moreShow less
    If existence were intrinsic to essence in the Necessary Existent, the distinctio...In the Necessary Existent, essence just *is* existence—there is nothing 'added,'...

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    claim
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    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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