Divine Conceptualism as a Response to Challenge of Platonism and Its Critique by Craig

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate of Islamic Philosohy & Theology, Shahid Madani University of Azarbaijan, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Philosophy & Ethics Department, University of Zanjan, Iran

Abstract

Divine Conceptualism is a solution to the problem that Platonism poses for theism. This view is put forward by Alvin Plantinga and Greg Welty, two contemporary American philosophers, argues for a Platonic realism about propositions, possible worlds, and mathematical abstract objects; That is, although it considers these abstract objects to exist, it considers them to be concrete and not abstract, and in order to reconcile with theism, it considers these objects as the thoughts of God. Craig, a contemporary American theist philosopher, argues that this view can not be considered a sutible solution; Because it is not acceptable to consider abstracts as mathematical objects as concrete; In addition, conceptualism has difficulty in justifying false propositions. Conceptualism also requires God's attribution to malicious thoughts, and in Welty's interpretation of conceptualism, the challenge of Platonism remains. Examining what has been done, it seems that some of Craig's objections to Welty and Plantinga's view of conceptualism are true. More serious objections of conceptualism can also be introduced into Welty and Plantinga's views. Plantinga and Welty have neglected intuitive(direct) Knowledge and reduced God's knowledge to acquired(indirect) knowledge; For if the knowledge of God is to be regarded intuitively, while at the same time realizing the realities of mathematics, propositions, and possible worlds, these objects are simply present in the existence of God; Not in the sense of separate concepts.

Keywords

References

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