Providence and Science in a World of Contingency: Thomas Aquinas’ Metaphysics of Divine Action

171 Pages·2021·5.467 MB·English

by  Ignacio Silva

Providence and Science in a World of
Contingency
Providence and Science in a World of Contingency offers a novel assessment of
the contemporary debate over divine providential action and the natural sci-
ences, suggesting a re-consideration of Thomas Aquinas’ metaphysical doctrine
of providence coupled with his account of natural contingency. By looking at
the history of debates over providence and nature, the volume provides a set of
criteria to evaluate providential divine action models, challenging the under-
lying, theologically contentious assumptions of current discussions on divine
providential action. Such assumptions include that God needs causally open
spaces in the created world in order to act in it providentially, and the unfitting
conclusion that, if this is the case, then God is assumed to act as another cause
among causes. In response to these shortcomings, the book presents a compre-
hensive account of Aquinas’ metaphysics of natural causation, contingency, and
their relation to divine providence. It offers a fresh and bold metaphysical nar-
rative,based onthethoughtofThomasAquinas,whichappreciatestherelation
between divine providence and natural contingency.
Ignacio Silva is Associate Professor of Theology and Science at the Instituto de
Filosofía, Universidad Austral, Argentina, and Associate Member of the Ian
Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford, UK.
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Intersections of Religion and Astronomy
Edited by Aaron Ricker, Chris J. Corbally, and Darry Dinnell
Divine and Human Providence
Philosophical, Psychological and Theological Approaches
Edited by Ignacio Silva and Simon Kopf
Islam and Evolution
Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm
Shoaib Ahmed Malik
Toward a Theology of Scientific Endeavour
The Descent of Science
Christopher B. Kaiser
Providence and Science in a World of Contingency
Thomas Aquinas’ Metaphysics of Divine Action
Ignacio Silva
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Providence and Science in a
World of Contingency
’
Thomas Aquinas Metaphysics of Divine
Action
Ignacio Silva
Firstpublished2022
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Contents
List of abbreviations of Thomas Aquinas’ works ix
Introduction 1
1 Digging for criteria: A metaphysical history of divine providence 12
2 Science and providence today 32
3 A metaphysics of natural contingency 58
4 A metaphysics of God’s providence 83
5 Thomas Aquinas today 117
Final thoughts on Aquinas, contingency, and providence 139
Bibliography 150
Index 158

’
List of abbreviations of Thomas Aquinas
1
works
Summa Theologiae (1266–73) S.Th.
Summa Contra Gentiles (1259–64) SCG
De Ente et Essentia (1252/56) De Ente
De Substantiis Separatis (1271) De Subs. Sep.
De Principiis Naturae (1252/56) De Prin. Nat.
Compendium Theologiae (1269–73) Comp. Theo.
Quaestiones Disputatae De Malo (1266–67) De Malo
Quaestiones Disputatae De Potentia Dei (1265–66)2 De Pot.
Quaestiones Disputatae De Veritate (1256–59) De Ver.
Quaestio Disputata De Spiritualibus Creaturis (1267–68) De Spirit. Creat.
Quaestio Disputata De Anima (1265–66) De An.
Quaestio Disputata De Virtutibus (1271–72)3 De Virt.
Quaestio De Quodlibet 1 (1269) Quod. 1
Scriptum super libros Sententiarum (1251–56)4 In Sent.
Expositio in librum Boethii De Hebdomadibus (1256–59) In De Heb.
Super Boetium De Trinitate (1257–58) In De Trin.
Expositio super librum De Causis (1271–72) In De Causis
Expositio super Dionysium De Divinis Nominibus
(1265–67)5 In De Div. Nom.
In Psalmos Davidis Expositio (c. 1273)6 In Psalm.
Super Evangelium S. Ioannis lectura (1270–72) In Io.
Sententia libri Metaphysicae (1269–72)7 In Met.
Commentaria in octo libros Physicorum (1269–70) In Phys.
Expositio libri Peri Hermeneias (1270–71) In Peri Her.
In libros Aristotelis De caelo et mundo expositio
(1272–73) De Cae. Et Mun.
In librum Aristotelis De generatione et corruptione
expositio (1272–73) In Gen. et Corr.
Sententia libri De Anima (1269–70) In De An.
Sententia libri Ethicorum (1271) Sent. Eth.
Sententia super Meteora (1269–73) In Meteor.