I’m going to start a new series of posts in which I present some of my most recent thoughts on the classic First Cause arguments. In this post, I will lay out some explications and definitions for some key terms that will appear in my arguments. Some of the terms are so fundamental that theyContinue reading “Some New Arguments for a First Cause”
Category Archives: Essence
From Quantum Entanglement to a Cosmic Substance?
Non-Locality: Action vs. Influence at a Distance It is true that, as Bell’s theorem demonstrated, quantum theory is deeply committed to superluminal influence or coordination. But we have to distinguish between violations of Parameter Independence and violations of Outcome Independence (to use Abner Shimony’s distinction, Shimony 1984). Mere violations of Outcome Independence require only aContinue reading “From Quantum Entanglement to a Cosmic Substance?”
God’s Identity with His Essence
Thomas explicitly asserts that God is numerically identical to His essence. God does not have divinity as His nature: He is His own divinity. As we have seen, God is not an abstract object, a post rem property, or a universal. So, what could it mean to say that God is identical to His essenceContinue reading “God’s Identity with His Essence”
The Analytic Thomist 