Skip to content
Carmelics
TopicsThinkersChangesContributorsLoading account…

    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

    Navigate

    • Topics
    • Search
    • Recent Changes
    • Contribute
    • How It Works
    • Glossary
    • Thinkers
    • Contributors
    • About
    • Statistics
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Database

    Statements
    —
    Perspectives
    —
    Topics
    —

    Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    The notion of God as self-subsistent Being (both Being it... — Carmelics
    Home/Divine Attributes
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    The notion of God as self-subsistent Being (both Being itself and a being) is contradictory to the discursive intellect.

    Divine Attributes
    ?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.Either Being is other than beings or it is not.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.If Being is other than beings, then Being cannot itself be, which implies that God, who must be Being itself to be absolute, cannot be.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.If Being just is beings taken collectively, then God could only be a being among beings and not the absolute reality.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Aquinas's esse subsistens does not claim Being is a being within a genus, but rather the act of existence itself without limiting essence.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.The contradiction only arises if 'being' is univocal across God and creatures, but Aquinas explicitly rejects univocity in favor of analogical predication.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.On an analogical account, 'Being itself subsisting' and 'a being' name the same reality under different conceptual modes without logical contradiction.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Neoplatonic henology, from Plotinus through Pseudo-Dionysius, holds that the One transcends the Being/beings distinction entirely, dissolving the dilemma's exhaustiveness.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.If the discursive intellect's categories of 'Being' and 'beings' are themselves derivative of a prior principle, then the alleged contradiction is an artifact of finite cognition, not ontological fact.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

    Next step

    Based on where you are in your exploration

    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

    Topics

    Divine Attributes

    Connections

    1 linked claim

    The notion of self-subsistent Being is contradictory to the discursive intellect...

    Related

    Aquinas's esse subsistens does not claim Being is a being within a genus, but ra...Either Being is other than beings or it is not.If Being is other than beings, then Being cannot itself be, which implies that G...If Being just is beings taken collectively, then God could only be a being among...
    +6 moreShow less
    If the discursive intellect's categories of 'Being' and 'beings' are themselves ...Neoplatonic henology, from Plotinus through Pseudo-Dionysius, holds that the One...On an analogical account, 'Being itself subsisting' and 'a being' name the same ...The contradiction only arises if 'being' is univocal across God and creatures, b...The idea of self-subsistent Being is that Being itself is a being, which is cont...The notion of self-subsistent Being is contradictory to the discursive intellect...

    Similar

    The notion of self-subsistent Being is contradictory to the discursive...97%The idea of self-subsistent Being is that Being itself is a being, whi...94%God is not a contradictory entity and therefore cannot internally rule...77%God is simple in that God transcends every form of complexity and comp...76%

    Source

    AI-extracted
    SEP: divine-simplicity
    View source passageHide passage
    The problem, of course, is to explain how God can be both Being esseand something that is ens. This is unintelligible to the discursive intellect. Either Being is other than beings or it is not. If Being is other than beings, then Being cannot itself be. That would imply that God, who must be Being itself to be absolute, cannot be. If, on the other hand, Being just is beings taken collectively, then God could only be a being among beings and not the absolute reality. To the discursive intellect the notion of self-subsistent Being is contradictory. For the idea here is that Being itself is a b...

    Details

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