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    Carmelics

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    God cannot be composite but must be absolutely simple. — Carmelics
    Home/Divine Attributes
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    God cannot be composite but must be absolutely simple.

    Divine AttributesNatural Theology
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.God is the being by substance.
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    • 2.A composite or non-simple being must have an external cause and therefore be a being by participation.
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    • 3.A being by substance is not a being by participation.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.A being can be ontologically ultimate while possessing real internal distinctions, as Scotus argued with formal distinctions in God.
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    • 2.Formal distinctions are less than real distinctions and do not require an external cause, undermining P2's scope.
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    • 3.If formal distinctions suffice for divine attributes like justice and mercy, absolute simplicity is neither necessary nor coherent.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.A composite being requires an external cause only if its components are contingently unified, not if unity is intrinsic to its nature.
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    • 2.The supporting argument illicitly equates all composition with contingent dependence, conflating metaphysical and causal necessity.
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    Topics

    Divine AttributesNatural Theology

    Connections

    1 linked claim · 1 topic

    Causation1 linked
    What is absolutely simple cannot be composite

    Related

    A being can be ontologically ultimate while possessing real internal distinction...A composite being requires an external cause only if its components are continge...A composite or non-simple being must have an external cause and therefore be a b...Formal distinctions are less than real distinctions and do not require an extern...
    +5 moreShow less
    God is the being by substance.If formal distinctions suffice for divine attributes like justice and mercy, abs...The being by substance is not a being by participation.The supporting argument illicitly equates all composition with contingent depend...What is absolutely simple cannot be composite

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: william-auvergne
    View source passageHide passage
    The uniqueness of a being by substance is, William argues, a consequence of its absolute simplicity, since nothing could differentiate two or more absolutely simple beings. The absolute simplicity of a being by substance, in turn, is a consequence of the fact that it cannot be caused (not, at least by an external causation; William argues that the being by substance is the Christian Trinity of persons and he admits a kind of internal causation in the Trinity). For everything that is caused is ot
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit