Do possible worlds compromise God's beauty? A reply to Mark Ian Thomas Robson

Robson, Jon

Abstract

In a recent article Mark Ian Thomas Robson argues that there is a clear contradiction between the view that possible worlds are a part of God's nature and the theologically pivotal, but philosophically neglected, claim that God is perfectly beautiful. In this article I show that Robson's argument depends on several key assumptions that he fails to justify and as such that there is reason to doubt the soundness of his argument. I also demonstrate that if Robson's argument were sound then this would be a problem for all classical theists and not just those who hold the possible worlds view.

Citation

Robson, J. (2012). Do possible worlds compromise God's beauty? A reply to Mark Ian Thomas Robson. Religious Studies, 48(4), 515-532. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0034412512000042

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Mar 6, 2012
• Publication Date: 2012-12
• Deposit Date: Feb 18, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 18, 2013
• Journal: Religious Studies
• Print ISSN: 0034-4125
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-901X
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 515-532
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0034412512000042
• Keywords: Philosophy; Religious studies
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1009253
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0034412512000042