by Marilyn McCord Adams:
Abstract -- "Against the background of current debates about whether the regularities
of the natural world are to be seen as governed by natural laws or
explained by causal powers, medieval Aristotelians strike a distinctive
pose. When it comes to physics, biology, psychology, and cosmology,
they are all Aristotelians who locate the explanation of
quasi-regularities in inward principles of motion (formal functional
principles) that are or give rise to causal powers. Laws, by contrast,
are promulgated by voluntary agents to regulate the behavior of
voluntary agents. When it comes to the order of the world, natural
agency is one contributor. But the laws and policies of an omnipotent
God -- not least as to when, where, and how much to concur with natural
agency -- make a decisive difference. In this paper, I chart how these
contrasting explanatory factors are related by Aquinas, Scotus, and
Ockham."
Powers versus Laws: God and the Order of Nature in Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham
Quid autem habes quod non accepisti? Si autem accepisti, quid gloriaris quasi non acceperis?
No comments:
Post a Comment