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Prescience And Providence: A Reply To My Critics, David P. Hunt
Prescience And Providence: A Reply To My Critics, David P. Hunt
Philosophy
I respond to the two critiques of my position on the providential usefulness of simple foreknowledge. Professor Kapitan objects that I have not directly addressed his main argument against deliberating while holding a belief about the outcome of the deliberation. Perhaps he is right; in any event, I address that argument here and find it wanting. Professor Basinger focuses his attack on my scenario for divine decision-making. I reply that he has misunderstood the role of that scenario, that his proffered counterexample fails, and that it would not refute my position even if it succeeded.
Divine Providence And Simple Foreknowledge, David P. Hunt
Divine Providence And Simple Foreknowledge, David P. Hunt
Philosophy
A mainstay of the traditional doctrine of divine omniscience is the assumption that foreknowledge can make an essential contribution to God's providential action in the world. The tendency in recent analyses, however, is to regard the providential use of foreknowledge as self-stultifying. I argue that this conclusion is premature: neither the "metaphysical" nor the "doxastic" objection employed by the critics is sufficient to nullify a significant providential appeal to foreknowledge. Thus there is no reason to embrace either of the "solutions" proposed by the critics: the rejection of foreknowledge, or its assimilation to middle knowledge.