The Trinity and Divine Simplicity w/ Dr. James Dolezal
Aug 14, 2022
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Dr. James Dolezal discusses divine simplicity and its compatibility with the Trinity, exploring the importance of divine simplicity for ultimate explanations and theism, defending constituent ontology, contemplating contingency and finitude, and delving into the challenge of understanding real distinctions within the Trinity without undermining its threeness or divine simplicity.
Divine simplicity and the doctrine of the Trinity can be compatible, as long as the distinction between relations is acknowledged to preserve the alterity of the persons within the Trinity.
Aquinas argues that while conceptual relations exist, they may not necessarily adhere to a subject, expanding Aristotelian philosophy and serving sacred doctrine.
Deep dives
Divine simplicity and the doctrine of the Trinity
The compatibility between divine simplicity and the doctrine of the Trinity is examined. Divine simplicity denies the composition of parts in God, ruling out tritheism and tripartitism. It upholds a monotheistic unity in which there is one God, not three. The objection of transitivity is addressed, highlighting that transitivity requires sameness in thing and concept, which does not hold true in the debate on the Trinity. The distinction between relations, such as paternity, filiation, and procession, is explored to account for the alterity of the persons within the Trinity. The importance of maintaining both the biblical data and a philosophical understanding of simplicity is emphasized in order to avoid heretical positions and provide a coherent understanding of the Trinity.
The challenge of transitivity objection
The objection of transitivity argues that if the father and the son have identical essences that are distinct, then the father is identical with the son, contradicting the doctrine of the Trinity. However, Aquinas counters this by asserting that the objection assumes sameness in thing and concept under the same aspect, which does not apply to the Trinity. The non-sameness in ratiocination between the persons of the Trinity refutes the objection of transitivity. By acknowledging the alterity of relations grounded on procession, the distinctiveness of the persons within the Trinity is preserved.
The Genius of Aquinas: Conceptual Relations and Inherence
Aquinas discovers and articulates that conceptual relations don't necessarily entail inherence in a subject, contradicting the idea that all relations are accidents. He argues that while conceptual relations exist, they may not inhere in a subject, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between accidental and essential relations. Aquinas shows that the category of relation in the nine categories of accidents can be real and not accidental, as long as the ratio of relation does not require inherence. This insight expands Aristotelian philosophy while still serving sacred doctrine.
Simplicity and the Distinction of Persons
There is a desire to have a simplicity doctrine that is driven by the Trinity doctrine to maintain its distinctively Christian nature. Some argue that if the persons of the Trinity are really distinct, then the divine attributes can also be really distinct. However, they fail to provide grounding for this alterity among the attributes. Grounding the alterity in relation is possible, as seen with the persons, but failing to do so with the attributes results in potential tritheism or multi-partism. The argument against omniscience based on divine impassibility also lacks grounding in relation, overlooking the possibility of God's superior knowledge of qualia compared to human experience.
Dr. James Dolezal joins Philosophy for the People to discuss how the doctrine of divine simplicity is compatible with trinitarian theology. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe!
