Ep. #167 – Anscombe & God’s Intentional Act of Creation w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr

Summary

What is classical theism? Can the simple, immutable God of classical theism do any actions? And even if so, can He act intentionally? How can we account for such intentional action without contradicting divine simplicity or immutability? What did Anscombe and Davidson argue regarding intentional action? How are these accounts relevant to the questions about God? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins us to share some of his recent research on intentional action.

Guest Bio

Dr. Gaven Kerr is a Thomist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, a married father of three, and a Third Order Dominican. Previously, he taught theology at Mary Immaculate College Limerick and now teaches philosophy at St Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth. He focuses on philosophy and theology in general and the thought of St Thomas Aquinas in particular. He’s also the author of several books, including Aquinas and the Metaphysics of Creation. 

Resources

Aquinas and the Metaphysics of Creation by Gaven Kerr

Gaven Kerr’s Professor page at St. Patrick’s Maynooth

Alexander Pruss’s blog post that I mention in the outro comments

Defending Classical Theism Against Objections (Reason and Theology Podcast) w/ Pat Flynn and Gaven Kerr (Gaven addresses intentional action in this video)

Aquinas’ Way to God by Gaven Kerr

Related Episodes

Ep. #119 – Divine Simplicity in the Summa w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr

BONUS|Modal Collapse and Existential Inertia w/ Steven Nemes