The greatest possible being / Jeff Speaks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Speaks, Jeffrey, 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

God.

Philosophy and religion--History.

Philosophy and religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 175 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2018.

Summary:

Many people have tried to come up with a view about the nature of God by starting from the principle that God is the greatest possible being. Jeff Speaks argues that this project is a failure, and that the concept of God is the concept of a greatest possible being is a mistake. He concludes by sketching an alternative path forward.

Contents:

Cover; The Greatest Possible Being; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Introduction; 1: The Idea of a Greatest Possible Being; 1.1 From greatness to the divine attributes; 1.2 The modal conception of God; 1.3 Two steps to a perfect being theology; 1.4 Modal principles; 1.5 Greatness conditions; 2: Alethic Perfect Being Theology; 2.1 The greatest actual being; 2.2 The greatest possible being; 2.3 The restriction strategy; 2.3.1 The extended restriction strategy; 2.3.2 Pure vs. impure perfections; 2.4 The conjunctive strategy; 2.4.1 The conjunctive-disjunctive strategy; 2.4.2 The conjunctive-elimination strategy; 2.4.3 The conjunctive-conceivability strategy; 3: Epistemic Perfect Being Theology; 3.1 Epistemic greatness conditions; 3.2 The main problem; 3.3 Varieties of conceivability; 3.3.1 Conceivability and logical truth; 3.3.2 Conceivability and a priori truth; 4: Impure Perfect Being Theology; 4.1 Absolute greatness; 4.1.1 Intrinsic goods; 4.1.2 Categories of intrinsic goods; 4.2 Kind-relative goods; 5: Conflict and the Problem of Hidden Attributes; 6: Permissible Tinkering with The Concept of God; 6.1 The perfect being defense in action; 6.2 A reductio of the perfect being defense; 6.3 The perfect being defense: a diagnosis; 6.4 The epistemic perfect being defense; 7: Perfect Being Semantics; 7.1 The standard picture of names; 7.2 Three grades of perfect being semantics; 7.3 What is special about 'God'?; 7.3.1 The argument from the absence of dubbings; 7.3.2 The argument from requirements on reference; 7.3.3 The argument from informative identities; 7.4 The modal conception and semantic equivalence; 7.4.1 Theologically unsophisticated subjects; 7.4.2 Heterodox subjects; 7.4.3 Impoverished modal space; 7.4.4 'The greatest actual being'; 7.5 The modal conception and descriptive association; 7.6 The modal conception and descriptive introduction; 8: Beyond Perfect Being Theology; 8.1 Deriving the attributes; 8.2 Dispensable vs. mandatory attributes; 8.3 The meaning of 'God'; 8.3.1 'God' as an ordinary name; 8.3.1.1 The absence of dubbings; 8.3.1.2 Requirements on reference; 8.3.1.3 Informative identities; 8.3.2 The real problem with 'God' as an ordinary name; References; Index

Notes:

This edition previously issued in print: 2018.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-256150-2

0-19-186572-9

0-19-256149-9