What exactly is Molinism?
Molinism, named after 16th-century Spanish Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, is a view about the providence of God in light of human free will. The view affirms a strong notion of God’s control of events in the world, alongside an equally firm view of human freedom.
What is simple foreknowledge?
“Simple Foreknowledge” is a good name for the combination of Libertarian Foreknowledge and the rejection of Molinism: God did not know CFs about free creatures, at least not in such a way that they could be used to explain why he chose to create particular individuals and put them in their actual circumstances.
What is the grounding objection?
A well-known objection to middle knowledge, the grounding objection, contends that counterfactuals of freedom have no truth-value because there is no fact to the matter as to what an agent with libertarian freedom would do in counterfactual circumstances.
What is the doctrine of middle knowledge?
The theological doctrine of middle knowledge attributes to God a particular kind of knowledge concerning the future, knowledge which would be denied to God by theists who do not hold this doctrine.
How is Molinism a philosophical picture of God?
Molinism is a much-debated philosophical picture of how a provident God can exercise sovereign control over his world while honoring the genuine freedom he has bestowed upon his creatures.
Who are some famous people associated with Molinism?
Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. Molinism, named after 16th-century Spanish Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, is a view about the providence of God in light of human free will. Prominent contemporary Molinists are William Lane Craig, Alfred Freddoso, Thomas Flint, Kenneth Keathley, and David Armstrong.
How is the middle knowledge used in Molinism?
Using middle knowledge, Molinism attempts to show that all of God’s knowledge is self-contained, but it is ordered so as to allow for the possibility of man’s free will. In other words, man is completely free, but God is also completely sovereign—He is absolutely in control of all that happens, and yet humanity’s choices are not coerced.
How does the molinist view differ from the deterministic view?
In contrast to the Molinist view, on the deterministic view even the movement of the human will is caused by God. God moves people to choose evil, and they cannot do otherwise. God determines their choices and makes them do wrong.
