Divine Action Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025

Presentation delivered at the ATI student summer session in Castel Gandolfo 2025. Topics covered in the presentation: (1) Theology of Creation in OT ~ Two Theological Frameworks: (A) Soteriological / (B) Sapiential || (2) Sapiential Framework as the Foundation for the Speculative Aspect of Theology of Creation (Divine Action in the Act of Creation) || (3) Sapiential Framework as the Foundation for the Trinitarian Aspect of Theology of Creation || (4) Sapiential Foundation of the Doctrine of Creation as Grounding the Tradition (Approach) of Natural Theology || (5) Appendix ~ Sapiential Aspect of Creation in Gen 1

2025

Artificial intelligence's mechanisms and inventiveness has raised some ethical or moral questions, some of which are from religious quarters, small and large societal groups, government and other organizations. The weight of the moral concerns depends on the level of the communities or societies that engage and explore this great revolution in the history of mankind. Attempts have been made to address the moral concerns, but they have not been adequately addressed from biblical perspective. From the standpoint of biblical ethics, this paper provides a thorough analysis of the primary moral questions related to the effects of artificial intelligence on human civilization. Biblical ethics is based on moral revelation in the bible. But the relevance of it to the contemporary times is also contested, that is, how significant is the individual ethical texts of the Bible to the situation of the modern man? Integration model in utilizing Artificial Intelligence for doing theological education from biblical ethics perspective may be of great value to enhance a balance for the contemporary man. Analytical approach is used to establish the coherence of biblical ethics and Artificial Intelligence for theological education. The paper reveals that the Christian ethical perspective on Artificial Intelligence is supported by several theological principles based on the fact that humans and robots are seen as having distinct essences, making them unequal; human dignity is rooted in being created in God's image (Imago Dei), as described in Genesis 1:27-28; humans are called to prioritize their relationships with God, fellow humans, and the natural world with a sense of creativity. Artificial Intelligence is not a demon but a tool programmed by man for his own development. Employing Artificial Intelligence in a manner that promotes theological education should be encouraged.

2025, Was dürfen wir hoffen? Eschatologie in ökumenischer Verantwortung

Das !Reich Gottes( als eschatologische Metapher im theologischen Disput .

2025, 2021

Situated at the crossroads of ancient Greek history,
Eleusis was subject to changing fortunes in the world.
From an Athenian perspective, Eleusis marked the
fringes of their territory. From everybody else’s point of
view, it was either a destination or a gateway: to
Athens, the Saronic region and Aegean, Central Greece,
or the Peloponnese.
The conference explores this inherent status of in
betweenness. It invites approaches that appreciate the
local horizon as a sphere where different vectors of
culture touch, both complementarily and conflictually,
to shape a hybrid history of place; for instance, an
amalgamation of diverse natural environments and
different political entities; of boundedness and
entanglement; imaginaries of isolation and belonging;
material and immaterial expressions in culture that
were in themselves fused by local, regional, and
universal practices.

2025

We introduce an ontology of objects and events that is particularly well suited for several interpretations of quantum mechanics. It leads to an important revision of the notion of matter and its implications. Within this context one can show that systems in entangled states present emergent new properties and downward causation where certain behavior of parts of the system are only determined by the state of the whole. Interpretations of quantum mechanics that admit such an event ontology solve the problem of emergence.

2025, arXiv: Quantum Physics

We show that several interpretations of quantum mechanics admit an ontology of objects and events. This ontology reduces the breach between mind and matter. When humans act, their actions do not appear explainable in mechanical terms but through mental activity: motives, desires or needs that propel them to action. These are examples of what in the last few decades have come to be called "downward causation". Basically, downward causation is present when the disposition of the whole to behave in a certain way cannot be predicted from the dispositions of the parts. The event ontology of quantum mechanics allow us to show that systems in entangled states present emergent new properties and downward causation.

2025

2025, Journal of Islamic Philosophy

Over the past century, the +,eld of Islamic studies has undergone considerable evolution, transitioning from its initial foundation as a predominantly orientalist project to a more re+,ned and multifaceted discipline. This transformation has been marked by a growing awareness of the limitations and biases inherent in earlier scholarship, which, if not acknowledged, often simpli+,ed, mischaracterized, or distorted Muslim scholars' theological and philosophical contributions. 1 Thankfully, the +,eld of Islamic studies has progressed beyond such narratives, with scholars such as

2025, Zeitschrift für Dialektische Theologie

2025

Lecture presented in Bucharest on May 26 of 2025. / Intro: How do we define creation? Can theology of creation open up to the perspective of biological evolution? How should we read the Genesis account of creation and its description of the emergence of living things in light of modern science? Is it theologically sound to say that God creates through evolution? These are some of the most urgent questions at the intersection of science and theology of creation. In this lecture I address them from the perspective of the Aristotelian-Thomistic school of philosophy and theology. I show that the basic principles of this tradition continue to be relevant and useful in the context of contemporary science.

2025

Durante la Edad Media, uno de los temas más controversiales debatidos en las universidades de Artes y Teología del siglo XIII europeo, fue la relación posible entre la fortuna y la libertad, discusión ésta fomentada por la circulación de un opúsculo que se adjudicaba a Aristóteles, denominado De bona fortuna. En la cuestión XXI de Quaestiones quodlibetales, Duns Escoto -apoyándose en tal apócrifo- analiza qué es lo que el Estagirita entiende por fortuna, y qué relación cabe con la causa del querer que es la voluntad. Este escrito, a partir de una exégesis de los textos medievales mencionados, reflexiona sobre las consecuencias éticas que implicaría que algunos individuos sean más afortunados disposicionalmente que otros, lo que llevaría a justificar que los males no sólo se dan por mala fortuna sino también porque uno "los atrae". En contraposición con ello, se recupera la perspectiva escotista de la libertad humana como forjadora de la propia existencia.Durante a Idade Me...

2025

The human will is essential and contingently free, according to the perspective of medieval philosopher Duns Escoto. In escotista metaphysics it is possible to speak of a contingent moral order, since the root of he himself is the divine will that operates with total freedom. In addition, as the divine will produces the creatures freely, by the same, the creatures were not created in a necessity order and are able to operate freely, giving origin to infinite configurations of possible realities. In that case, my free will can choose what to do and what no, to choose between possible and a its opposite one. In this sense, the objective of this writing is to raise from the metaphysics of Duns Escotohow the human action contains in its sine the contingency with which is equipped the possibility already indeed made. To show as well that the

2025

Durante la Edad Media, uno de los temas mas controversiales debatidos en las universidades de Artes y Teologia del siglo XIII europeo, fue la relacion posible entre la fortuna y la libertad, discusion esta fomentada por la circulacion de un opusculo que se adjudicaba a Aristoteles, denominado De bona fortuna . En la cuestion XXI de Quaestiones quodlibetales , Duns Escoto -apoyandose en tal apocrifo- analiza que es lo que el Estagirita entiende por fortuna, y que relacion cabe con la causa del querer que es la voluntad. Este escrito, a partir de una exegesis de los textos medievales mencionados, reflexiona sobre las consecuencias eticas que implicaria que algunos individuos sean mas afortunados disposicionalmente que otros, lo que llevaria a justificar que los males no solo se dan por mala fortuna sino tambien porque uno "los atrae". En contraposicion con ello, se recupera la perspectiva escotista de la libertad humana como forjadora de la propia existencia.

2025

The aim of the induction week is to produce a shared intellectual framework and culture for StoryPharm’s collaborative work, decision-making and writing. This first training event concentrates on the project’s overall methodology and objectives, the dialogue between premodern and modern health humanities and the concept of therapeutic storytelling from antiquity to the present. This week is central for establishing StoryPharm’s collaborative ethos. It includes workshops, seminars and reading groups, which are specifically designed to ensure that all participants are aware of each other’s expertise and start thinking together across disciplines and sectors. With the input of all partners and the assistance of the Research and Innovation Support Service of the University of Cyprus (UCY), Doctoral Fellows (DF) are also introduced to postdoctoral career prospects. Finally, the induction week is the first opportunity for the four research Work Package (WP) teams to come together and discuss their next steps. Each research WP team is expected to lay the groundwork for future collaboration by setting up a common bibliography using open source Zotero software and writing a short common position paper relating StoryPharm’s training to the intellectual agenda of the respective research WP.

2025, Journal of Open Theology

From a traditional theological perspective, the ontological randomness and apparent lack of purpose in the evolutionary process appear to conflict with God's providence, sovereignty, and wisdom. Many physicists confirm that there are forms of ontological (metaphysical) randomness in the world that are intrinsic and real, and cannot be reduced to a mere lack of knowledge. We then examine the traditional notions of divine sovereignty and providence, proposing how an open theology perspective can reconcile ontological randomness with divine providence and wisdom.

2025

Trying to avoid the Scylla of compromising divine transcendence and the Charybdis of divinizing creation (emanationism), Augustine introduced in his theology of creation the concept of rationes seminales. In my talk I will analyze the deeper (biblical) reasons motivating Augustine’s move and the way he relates rationes seminales to aeterne rationes. I will also reflect on the exact meaning of rationes seminales and Augustine’s view on the ways in which they are actualized in time. In the next step, I will answer the question whether Augustine should be seen as the father of evolutionism. Finally, I will discuss the application of Augustine’s theology of creation in Aquinas’s account of the work of six days in Genesis and the way in which the Aristotelian-Thomistic school can move beyond the limitations of Augustine’s proposal.

2025, Studia Capuccinorum Boziniensia

Psalm 133 is by its very placing at the end of a small collection of Psalms of the Ascent in the composition of the Masoretic text presented as a climax of the human fellowship and its ascent. And the climax consists in the brotherly dwelling. Whole literary com- position of the Psalm 133 testifies, by the use of various poetic devices, that brotherly dwelling is not some spontaneous, natural phenomenon. On the contrary: its achieving is a fruit of orderliness and lifelong endeavour which protect the dwelling as such and lead it, in its permanent process of transformation, into goodness and amiability. This process has to be – essentially and continuously – permeated by the gift of sanctifying grace.

2025

Presentation delivered at the ceremony of reception of the 2024 Cardinal Mercier Prize for my book titled "Theistic Evolution: A Contemporary Aristotelian-Thomistic Approach" (Cambridge University Press 2024). The prize is offered for monographs which are related to metaphysics, 'first' philosophy, or ontology in their relation to the contemporary world. It is jointly awarded by The Institut Supérieur de Philosophie (ISP) of UCLouvain, and the Hoger Instituut Voor Wijsbegeerte (HIW) of KU Leuven.

2025, The Thomist 69 (2005), p. 31-77

In his Trinitarian theology, Thomas Aquinas teaches that God's creative and salvific action is common to the entire Trinity. But in this common action, each divine person acts in a distinct manner according to his personal property. Thus, for Thomas Aquinas, there is a mode of action proper to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This distinct mode, which accounts for the personal dimension of Trinitarian action and grounds the value of appropriations, corresponds to the mode of being proper to each person, that is, to their personal relation.

2025, Freiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie 50 (2003), p. 334-353.

Dans sa théologie trinitaire, Thomas d’Aquin soutient que l’agir créateur et sauveur est commun à toute la Trinité. Mais dans cet agir commun, chaque personne divine intervient sur le mode distinct de sa propriété personnelle. Il y a ainsi, pour Thomas d’Aquin, un mode propre de l’agir du Père, du Fils et du Saint-Esprit. Ce mode distinct, qui rend compte de la dimension personnelle de l’agir trinitaire et qui fonde la valeur des appropriations, correspond au mode d’être propre de chaque personne, c’est-à-dire à sa relation personnelle.

2025

During my discussion with ChatGPT on the subject of Lewisian modal realism, I introduced the concept of quantum probability, which ultimately culminated in the formulation of meta-modal realism. The exchange offered substantial... more

2025

This paper offers a philosophical defense of final causality within the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition, arguing that purpose or teleology is essential to the intelligibility of nature. Through an analysis of natural regularity, causal explanation, and metaphysical structure, we show that final causes are not dispensable pre-scientific relics but necessary components of a coherent metaphysics. Just as a chair is composed of various parts to form what it is to be a chair, its final end or telos determines why it is composed the way it is rather than in some other way. Formal causality explains what it is while final causality explains the why. A chair exists for one to sit, and the structure explains its nature. The case study of why hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water rather than fire serves to illustrate the interrelationship between final and formal causes and to reveal the metaphysical depth often obscured by reductionist frameworks. A symbolic formalization of the argument is included via the S5 modal logic schema. The argument is also revised to consider the possibility that not all natural events exhibit intrinsic directedness. A further illustration is provided using genetic adaptation apart from evolutionary mechanisms.

2025, For Freedom Set Free: Structure and Telos

Jacques Maritain wished to affirm divine innocence in the face of human sin. He rejected a common interpretation of Thomas Aquinas that has more than a passing resemblance to Calvinism. On this interpretation, when God gives what is called efficacious grace, he moves the person to a particular action, and since he is omnipotent, the person will indeed perform the action. A person sins, however, when God decides not to give this efficacious movement. The result of this view, so Maritain claims, is that God becomes the indirect cause of sin.
This paper does not concern this interpretation of Aquinas; rather, it concerns Maritain’s alternative. Maritain claims that at least sometimes God gives grace that is “shatterable.” While this grace moves the person to some good action, the person will not necessarily perform the action. His free will might intervene and prevent the grace from coming to its fruition. Maritain, however, is sensitive to God’s omnipotence. The human will cannot perform an action that is independent of God. The “intervening” or “preventing” of the will, then, cannot be some new positive action, since that positive action itself would have to arise from God; then God would be both moving the person to a good act and moving him to prevent the act. It remains, thinks Maritain, that the will must not actively prevent the grace from reaching its fruition; rather, the grace does not reach its fruition on account of some absence in the will. As Maritain expresses the matter, the will “nihilates” the grace.

2025, Münchener Theologische Zeitschrift

Der Aufsatz erschließt den existentiellen Gehalt von „Rechtfertigung“ bei Paulus, bei Luther und in der Gegenwart. Zu diesem Zweck mustert er zunächst aktuelle Versuche katholischer (und ökumenischer) Rezeption, die beunruhigend vordergründig wirken. Im Ausgang vom „Turmerlebnis“ zeigt er die mystischen Wurzeln von Luthers reformatorischem Durchbruch auf und vergleicht die klassische lutherische Rechtfertigungslehre mit dem Verstehensmodell der neuen Paulusperspektive. Was Paulus und Luther bei allen historischen und theologischen Unterschieden verbindet, ist das Leitproblem der Zugänglichkeit Gottes. Gottfindung und Selbstfindung bilden eine innere Einheit: In dieser Grunderfahrung liegt auch im Jahr 2017 das noch immer auszuschöpfende Potential der Rechtfertigungsbotschaft.

2025, Angelicum

Aristotle's and Aquinas's metaphysical reflection on causation goes far beyond enumerating four causes of change and stability of things. They both develop a sophisticated and intriguing analysis of the complexity of causal dependencies and the variety of modes of causation. This aspect of Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics is often lost in the contemporary cursory presentations of this tradition. The article goes back to the robust ancient and medieval notions of causation and causal situations, indicating some exemplary points of correspondence between the classical and the contemporary (analytic and scientifically informed) philosophy of causation.

2025, Scientia et Fides

Among personality psychology theorists there is general agreement that personality is the result of multiple causes. Biological and environmental causes are especially mentioned. However, no coherent theory of causality is found among them to account for the multi-causality that affects personality. This article proposes that the Aristotelian-Thomistic theory of causality can provide personality theory with the necessary framework of understanding for a coherent and integrated view of this multi-causality. From this perspective, the term ' cause' is analogous, and has four main meanings: the material cause, the formal cause, the efficient cause and the final cause. These are not unconnected causes, but constitute a system in which each cause is reciprocally dependent on the other. Moreover, these four causes are genera, which contain other specific causes. In this article we propose to determine for each factor affecting personality one of these causes, showing the capacity of this causal theory to contribute to personality theory and to the philosophy of psychology from a Thomistic perspective. From the application of the Aristotelian-Thomistic causal theory to personality, it is proposed, finally, a complete definition of the concept of personality where each of the four causes is assigned, in comparison with other less complete definitions taken from authors relevant to the Personality Psychology.

2025, Journal of Philosophical Investigations

In this essay, I examine Fodor's argument in favor of psychological individualism and Egan's response. According to Fodor's causal argument, every scientific theory individualizes states or identities according to their causal powers. Therefore, Common sense intentional psychology should individualize the states according to the narrow content. Fodor offers two counter-examples to the above argument. According to the second counter-example (2), the anti-individualist claims that since the behavior of twins is distinct in type, their mental states must also be distinct in type, and according to the causal powers of the distinct mental states of type, they are not identical. Fodor gives two responses to the second counter-example. According to (2a), Fodor wants to prove that we should not consider the behavior of twins as different. As a result, the mental states of twins are not distinct. In response to (2a), Egan claims that Fodor's argument is based on the assumption that behavioral types supervene on brain types. According to (2b), Fodor makes two similar arguments by likening "anti-individualist psychology" to "H and T particle theory." One is to distinguish a type of Oscar's mental state from his twin; The second is to distinguish between H-particles and T-particles. In response to (2b), Egan claims that Fodor presupposes an unwarranted supervenience assumption in both arguments without providing an argument for it. Finally, I conclude that if Fodor has no good argument for the doctrine of the supervenience, then he has no reason to distinguish between extensive contents and other relative properties.

2025

This paper explores the intersection of non-linear conceptions of time in physics with Christian theology, examining how recent developments in relativity, quantum mechanics, and speculative physics may challenge or enrich theological understandings of divine action, providence, and eschatology. Classical Christian theology has long grappled with the nature of divine eternity, the linearity of salvation history, and the uniqueness of the Incarnation and Resurrection. Meanwhile, modern physics presents models of time that diverge from the intuitive, sequential flow of past, present, and future. The block universe theory in relativity suggests a tenseless, four-dimensional reality where all events coexist, while certain quantum models introduce notions of retrocausality, time-symmetry, and emergent temporality, raising profound questions about the nature of causation and agency.

2025, PhD Dissertation

This PhD dissertation analyses the role that occasionalism plays in projects of philosophical grounding in early modern natural philosophy. Occasionalism is the doctrine that in its strongest and most universal form maintains that only God has causal power, and that finite beings—typically, both minds and bodies—are purely passive. The main historical and conceptual focus is on the dissemination of occasionalism in early modern Germany. Besides enquiring into the connection between occasionalism and grounding, this dissertation provides an account of why occasionalism—en vogue in continental philosophy in the second half of the seventeenth century—slowly faded into oblivion in eighteenth-century German philosophy. This dissertation argues that this shift occurred because occasionalism began to look increasingly outdated in light of the growing importance afforded to causal, rather than metaphysical, explanations.

2025, Transversalités 118 (2011): 161-175

Draft translation by Dr. Matthew K. Minerd of Emmanuel Durand, "Faut-il repenser la qualification chrétienne du martyre ? Critères théologiques et opportunité pastorale," Transversalités 118 (2011): 161-175 (with the addition of note 21).

2025

Il contributo prende in esame lo statuto eccezionale del saggio in rapporto
alla visione del cosmo e della condizione divina in Filone di Alessandria (ca. 20 a.C.- ca. 49 d.C.), ponendo quest’ultimo a confronto con il contesto alessandrino coevo e, più ampiamente, ellenistico e romano. In particolare, vengono esaminati criticamente alcuni passaggi del trattato filoniano sulla libertà del saggio (Quod omnis probus liber sit 42-43 e 160), esplorandone le connessioni con il resto dell’opera filoniana e comparandoli a due paradigmi filosofici alternativi: quello
medioplatonico, incluse le tendenze espresse dagli apocrifi pitagorici, e quello stoico. Vengono quindi sinteticamente definiti i tratti peculiari di questi due modelli quanto alla dinamica di perfezione del saggio, consistente nel seguire la natura o nel distaccarsi dal mondo sensibile, riferendosi a un divino trascendente, in un caso, o perfettamente immanente e corporeo, nell’altro. L’analisi del Probus permette infine di avanzare alcune ipotesi sull’originalità specifica dell’Alessandrino nella formulazione del fine etico e nella descrizione del saggio in rapporto ai due modelli esaminati.

2025, Global Missiology English

2025

Contemporary theologians and scientists have taken their cues for divine action theories from naturalistic paradigms of causality. This paper will consider the hierarchies between natural and divine agency and conclude with a Thomistic... more

2025, Scottish Journal of Theology

This paper aims to examine Wolfhart Pannenberg's theology of divine action using the conceptual framework of cognitive linguistics. Central to this exploration is Pannenberg's use of the scientific concept of force field in an analogical/metaphorical way, enabling him to present a trinitarian-pneumatological understanding of divine action through divine omniscience and omnipresence. This paper argues that, despite justified criticisms of Pannenberg's reliance on Faraday's outdated concept of a universal force field, recent developments in cognitive linguistics affirm the legitimacy of Pannenberg's panentheistic metaphorical approach to the theology of divine action while calling for revisions.

2025, ACTA Bratislava

The aim of the article is to recall paradoxical fact that within the scope of probing fundamental elements of reality, the complex interaction of determinism and indeterminism continues to engage physicists and philosophers for extensive periods. The Everett's multiverse proposition as significant shift from the usually prefered ´incomplete´ interpretations, acentuates the underlying uncertainty central to quantum theory, and maybe even different physical laws in various universes. The quantum universe, characterized by its probabilistic essence and non-local interactions, confronts conventional deterministic models, urging a reconsideration of our foundational comprehension of reality. The rise of quantum indeterminacy brings forward significant queries about reality's nature, causal connections, and the limitations of human understanding. However, as investigation progresses into the quantum domain, a possible connection between determinism and indeterminism necessitates a detailed and multifaceted scrutiny to decode the enigmas central to quantum phenomena, with the eventual insights from Aristotelian metaphysics. By examining the historical context in conjunction with the theoretical ramifications of indeterminacy, academics can now better maneuver through the complex structure of quantum mechanics and its associated philosophical dimensions, thereby illuminating the core enigmas of the cosmos.

2025

The article presents the well-known arguments discovered and tested in the field of quantum mechanics in the mid-twentieth century, while in the second part it analyzes some important aspects of the relationship between metaphysics and quantum thinking, based on the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory in Heisenberg's thought. The last third part offers a possible critique of exclusive indeterminism from the point of view of Christian philosophy by I. Barbour, K. Popper and J. Polkinghorn, leaving the question open in anticipation of new discoveries in the field of science.

2025

This paper explores the interplay between science, theology, and philosophy as essential modes of understanding the nature of existence and consciousness. By examining their complementary roles, it argues that these disciplines collectively illuminate the profound questions of reality, purpose, and morality. The study uses quantum mechanics as a case study to demonstrate the convergence of observation and metaphysical insights. Furthermore, the paper highlights psychology as a bridge integrating these domains, offering an interdisciplinary lens to navigate the boundaries of human knowledge. It concludes that faith, reason, and empirical inquiry must coexist in a unified framework to understand the transcendent truths underpinning our existence.

2025, Salma A. Ali

The relationship between quantum mechanics (QM) and classical determinism has long been a topic of profound debate within the realm of theoretical physics. While classical determinism, as described by general relativity (GR), operates within the framework of a predictable universe, where spacetime curvature dictates the motion of massive objects, the quantum realm exhibits phenomena that appear probabilistic. Concepts such as vacuum fluctuations, Hawking radiation, and the inherent uncertainty embedded within quantum systems challenge the deterministic worldview that has governed scientific thought since Newton’s laws of motion.
At the heart of this dichotomy lies the fundamental question: Is the universe inherently deterministic, or is it governed by chance and probability? Despite the apparent irreconcilability of the dichotomy between quantum mechanics and classical determinism, recent developments in theoretical physics indicate that quantum mechanics, commonly regarded as probabilistic and non-deterministic, can indeed be integrated with a deterministic framework through concepts such as hidden variables, Pilot-Wave Theory, the Anthropic Principle, Relational Quantum Mechanics, and Quantum Bayesianism (QBism). These theories converge on the notion that quantum phenomena, typically interpreted as random, may be governed by underlying factors that remain undetectable with current observational methods. An alternative interpretation, the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics, posits the existence of multiple parallel universes, each representing distinct possible outcomes. This framework suggests that quantum mechanics can be reconciled with a more expansive deterministic model.
In this paper, we explore the possibility of merging classical determinism with quantum mechanics, arguing that both frameworks can coexist when viewed through the lens of hidden variables. Drawing upon Einstein’s hidden variable theories, as well as other related theoretical frameworks, and recognizing the cognitive tendency of humans to simplify complex phenomena into binary outcomes—such as right or wrong, or fixed versus random—we propose that quantum mechanics, rather than being intrinsically random, may function within a broader, underlying deterministic framework. Moreover, we suggest that human nature's propensity for black-and-white thinking obscures the potential for alternative realities, where what we observe is merely one possible outcome among many, yet to be fully understood. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we examine how hidden variables, the Many-Worlds Interpretation, attosecond physics, and even the Anthropic Principle can offer insights into a more holistic understanding of the universe, in which determinism and quantum mechanics are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary facets of a greater whole.

2025

Gastcollege aan de Universiteit Antwerpen op 15 mei 2023

2025

This article deals with ‘Adud al-Dīn al-Ījī’s erroneous attribution to Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī in his Kitāb al-Mawāqif that the eternal creation can be caused by a free-choosing agent (al-fāʿil al-mukhtār). Al-Ījī affirms a consensus between the Kalām-philosophers and Falsafa-philosophers that the eternal world can only be created by a necessarily-emanating agent (almūjib bi adh-dhāt). However, al-Ījī argues that al-Āmidī holds a contrary view on this issue, claiming that the eternal world can be created by a free-choosing agent. The article shows that al-Ījī’s ascription is false and that al-Āmidī did not hold
such a view. In his analysis, al-Ījī asserts that al-Āmidī holds the view that intentional (qaṣd) creation is the same as necessarily emanating creation with respect to the priority and posteriority of cause and effect. The possibility of an essential priority (al-taqaddum bi’dh-dhāt) between cause and effect suggests that an eternal effect can be caused by a freechoosing creator. To evaluate whether al-Āmidī indeed upholds this position, this article examines whether he maintains the principle that the absence of the intended effect is necessary for the possibility of intention. The article argues that as long as al-Āmidī adheres to this principle, he cannot be accused of holding the position attributed to him by al-Ījī. This article traces the development of this misattribution in the post-classical period, showing that it largely arises from the transmission and interpretation of al-Ījī's statements in Kitāb al-Mawāqif. Al-Jurjānī points out that some people support al-Āmidī’s pseudo-opinion, conciliating the mukhtār – mūjib theories. This study argues that the person who should come to the fore is not al-Āmidī but Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, who reconciles mukhtār and mūjib theories. Extending the concept of
mūjib bi adh-dhāt, al-Ṭūsī argued that the Necessary Being is mukhtār in the sense that “if God had not willed it, God would not have created”, but God’s effect is eternal because the antecedent, as that which God does not will cannot come to existence. This conciliatory approach was used by philosophers such as Ibn Kamālpasha to provide religious legitimacy
to the theory of mūjib. Āmidī’s so-called view and al-Ṭūsī’s reconciliation are reflected in Mullā Jāmī’s al-Durrat al-fākhira as a projection of philosophical tasawwuf formulated as a theory of creation. Mullā Jāmī argues that the Sufis adopted a theory of creation that is in some ways based on Āmidī’s so-called view, according to which a free-choosing God creates eternally, and the effect is eternal.

2024

Abstract. This chapter deals with the prehistory of the notion of voluntas by examining Plato’s portrayal of divine will in the Timaeus and by tracing its evolution in the earliest Latin translations of the dialogue. This analysis illustrates how Plato’s nuanced terminology for expressing the Demiurge’s will gradually becomes standardized, being often translated uniformly through voluntas and velle. Particular attention will be devoted to Calcidius, who strongly accentuates the notion of divine will in his translation while presenting a less pronounced, non-radical conception of it in his commentary. By highlighting this asymmetry between translation and commentary, this study shows that it does not imply any inconsistency on Calcidius’ part, but rather underlies specific methodological and philosophical reasons. As a result, this asymmetry sheds light on Calcidius’ exegetical approach and proves to be consistent with his commitment to sempiternalism, as it becomes apparent when placing the commentator within Platonist debates on demiurgy, divine will, and providence.

2024

Numenio è certamente uno dei pensatori più originali e influenti del Medioplatonismo. La sua riflessione si inserisce nel quale del Platonismo dogmatico di età imperiale. Come ogni suo contemporaneo, per Numenio il Timeo gioca un ruolo fondamentale, essendo il dialogo che ha ispirato l'intera filosofia medioplatonica. Ciononostante, non ci sono tracce in Numenio di una sua lettura di Tim. 28b7, il celebre passo in cui Platone allude alla generazione del cosmo. Questo passo ha generato un enorme dibattito nel Medioplatonismo tra interpreti "lettaralisti" e interpreti "metaforici" della generazione del cosmo. Numenio, stando a quanto riportano i frammenti, non si esprime esplicitamente sulla questione, ma è inverosimile che egli non abbia preso posizione su un tema cruciale del Medioplatonismo. Scopo del mio contributo è individuare tra i frammenti di Numenio alcuni elementi che sono riconducibili a una sua lettura di Tim. 28b7. In particolare, intendo dimostrare come Numenio abbia concepito il cosmo come generato a partire da una condizione precosmica e quindi la sua interpretazione del Timeo non è da annoverare tra quelle metaforiche. In particolare, analizzerò il lessico "temporalista" impiegato da Numenio al fine di dimostrare come egli se ne serva proprio per supportare una lettura di questo tipo, che è anche l'unica possibile se ci si mantiene fedeli alla dottrina numeniana. palore cHiaVe: Numenio; Timeo; Medioplatonismo; Cosmo. NumeNius iNTerpreTer of TIM. 28b7: some reflecTioNs oN aN exegeTical problem abstract: Numenius is certainly one of the most original and influential thinkers of Middle Platonism. His thought belongs to the dogmatic Platonic tendency of the Imperial age. Like any of his contemporary Platonists, for Numenius, the Timaeus plays a fundamental

2024

7 L'Epinomide è presente nell'Index Fontium dell'Editio Minor di Henry-Schwyzer. 8 Pl. Tim. 28c3-5. Ove non diversamente indicato, le traduzioni dei passi del Timeo sono di Petrucci (2022). 9 Sulla lettura di Tim. 28c3-5 da parte dei medi platonici e sulle variazioni nella sua comprensione si veda Ferrari (2014). Per quanto riguarda Plotino, il suo rapporto con Tim. 28c è un aspetto che non è possibile approfondire in questa sede adeguatamente. Curiosamente, Plotino cita raramente e in maniera molto poco approfondita questo passo del Timeo. Secondo Vorwerk (2010: 93-94) Plotino non sarebbe troppo interessato alla distinzione tra creatore e padre, ma ritengo questa ipotesi non percorribile. È possibile che Plotino leggesse il binomio artefice e padre come riferito alla medesima entità e quindi questa lettura non sarebbe compatibile con il ruolo prioritario dell'Uno rispetto all'Intelletto, su cui si tornerà in seguito. 10 La potenziale origine di questa dottrina è stata ampiamente discussa dagli studiosi. Si vedano Rich (1954); Armstrong (1960: 400-405), che discute anche l'influenza di questa dottrina in Plotino; Dillon (2011) e Michalewski (2014: 69-96). 11 È importante notare che Plotino si propone di affrontare i testi di Platone e degli autori precedenti per coglierne il significato filosofico. Egli non vuole fermarsi semplicemente al testo in sé, come fa il suo allievo Longino, che Plotino stesso accusa di essere un mero filologo. In sostanza, ciò che Plotino contesta a Longino è di non cogliere filosoficamente le espressioni del testo e, per questo motivo, non è in grado di approfondire le implicazioni filosofiche dell'opera che sta affrontando. Sulle divergenze tra Plotino e Longino si vedano Männlein-Robert (2017) e Chiaradonna (2010: 106). 12 Per un'introduzione alla filosofia gnostica rimando all'ottimo studio di Magris (2012). 13 Cfr. Plot. Enn. II 9 [33]. Cfr. Magris (2007: 408 sgg.). 14 Per Plotino il demiurgo non agisce secondo un piano razionale (κατὰ λογισμός)-come viene effettivamente descritto nel Timeo-in quanto, come vedremo, ciò condurrebbe a delle aporie. 15 Cfr. Charrue (1978: 123-127).

2024

Presentation delivered at the online conference titled Peacocke @ 100 – Filling and Surrounding the World: Pan(en)theism in a Scientific Age, organized by Science and Religion Forum. 27-28 November 2024.

2024, Hermeneutic interpretation of philosophical discussion On theoretical physics

This thesis aims to demonstrate that philosophical discussion regarding the results of theoretical physics corresponds to a hermeneutic circle comprising three types of interpretations. These three types correspond to the three ways of interpreting the ontological being of traditional philosophy: univocal, equivocal, and analogous. The question then demonstrates how it is possible to move from the interpretations of the philosophy of science to the ontology of traditional philosophy, starting from the results of modern and contemporary mathematical physics. Once this result has been established, I must demonstrate that it is possible to derive this conclusion.

2024, Philosophical Meditations

Natural theology has entered a new phase in the contemporary period and empirical evidence or explanatory gaps of the new natural sciences take a significant role in this project. On the other hand, Theism has been wounded by a strategy in which the epistemological unknowns were argued in favour of the existence of God (God of the Gaps). In this article, the problems faced by the strategy of the god of the gaps and their proposed solutions are reviewed, and accordingly, two points have been declared: 1) Separation of boundary or limit questions from scientific questions are recognized and accepted, then a criterion is provided for this distinction based on the definition of Muslim philosophers for philosophical statements. 2) The activity of supernatural agents, including God, is comprehensively portrayed from the perspective of Islamic wisdom, and based on it, both the contemporary natural theology and its rival project (naturalism) have been rejected.

2024, Science and Christian Belief

Many recent commentators reduce Polkinghorne’s model of divine action to the idea of
“active information” within chaotic systems however, whilst this is perhaps the most
distinctive part of his work, it features only as the capstone of a wider system of thought. It is
the aim of this paper to investigate some of that wider context to Polkinghorne’s model of
divine action, in particular his understanding of Process theology, kenotic theology, critical
realism and the status of the laws of nature.

2024, Religious Studies

This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to scientific realism, (2) the principle of simplicity, and (3) the reduction of Koperski’s model to occasionalism. We argue that despite his attempts to
distinguish his framework, Koperski’s model ultimately collapses into occasionalism due to the continuous divine sustenance required for natural processes. By engaging with recent developments in metaphysical and scientific debates, this article highlights the limitations of Koperski’s decretalism.