Divine Providence: The Molinist Account (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion) [Paperback]

Thomas P. Flint (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0801473365 | ISBN-13: 978-0801473364 | Edition: 1

Thomas P. Flint develops and defends the idea of divine providence sketched by Luis de Molina, the sixteenth-century Jesuit theologian. The Molinist account of divine providence reconciles two claims long thought to be incompatible: that God is the all-knowing governor of the universe and that individual freedom can prevail only in a universe free of absolute determinism. The Molinist concept of middle knowledge holds that God knows, though he has no control over, truths about how any individual would freely choose to act in any situation, even if the person never encounters that situation. Given such knowledge, God can be truly providential while leaving his creatures genuinely free. Divine Providence is by far the most detailed and extensive presentation of the Molinist view ever written.Middle knowledge is hotly debated in philosophical theology, and the controversy spills over into metaphysics and moral philosophy as well. Flint ably defends the concept against its most influential contemporary critics, and shows its importance to Christian practice. With particular originality and sophistication, he applies Molinism to such aspects of providence as prayer, prophecy, and the notion of papal infallibility, teasing out the full range of implications for traditional Christianity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Divine Providence is a remarkable book that should quickly earn its place as the leading authoritative contemporary exposition and defense of Molinism."-William Hasker, author of God, Time, and Knowledge

"This exposition is clear and full, measured and well-oiled."-Religious Studies

"In this book, Flint systematically articulates and defends Molinism . . . and the result is a rigorous, clear treatment. . . . I recommend this book very highly to specialists in the field."-Charles Taliaferro, The Journal of Religion, October 1999

"Thomas Flint, a leading proponent of 'Molinism', has written a stimulating exposition and defense of middle knowledge. . . . His are the arguments that anyone involved in the debate over Molinism will now have to engage, while even readers with little interest in divine providence may find the book worth studying just for its insights into explanatory priority, counterfactual power, and similar topics of general interest."-David P. Hunt, International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion

"Divine Providence is the only full-scale treatment of Molinism to have appeared in recent years. . . . It tackles Molinism directly and at length. It is written with great clarity, and it gives one a good idea of what can reasonably be argued for given its basic thesis. Those who want get a sense of how modern-day Molinists might wish to defend themselves today have nothing better to read at the moment."-Brian Davies, American Catholic Quarterly, Autumn 1999

"I am very impressed with Flint's discussion. He does an extraordinary job of setting forth clearly the Molinist metaphysical perspective and defending the engine that drives this system-God's middle knowledge-from attack. In fact his discussion of middle knowledge and the intricate interesting philosophical issues this concept continues to generate in current, mainstream philosophy of religion is, I believe, the best to date. . . . Flint's book remains required reading for any serious philosopher of religion or philosophical theologian."-David Basinger, The Philosophical Review, April 2000

"In an exceptionally engaging, clear, and ingenious book, Thomas P. Flint appeals to divine middle knowledge to present and defend an account of divine providence. In the process he mounts a sustained development and defense of the doctrine of middle knowledge."-Edward Wierenga, Philosophia Christi, Vol. 13, No. 1

From the Back Cover

"Divine Providence is a remarkable book that should quickly earn its place as the leading authoritative contemporary exposition and defense of Molinism."--William Hasker, author of God, Time, and Knowledge

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press; 1 edition (October 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801473365
• ISBN-13: 978-0801473364
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Admirable effort, November 30, 2003

By 

Bob "bobsacamento" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divine Providence: The Molinist Account (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion) (Hardcover)

Flint's rigorous, scholarly defense of the Molinist account of Divine Providence is one of the more welcome additions to the latter-day debate over this tendentious issue. Flint has given us a book brimming over with rigorous argument, served in a style of writing that is much more readable than one could ever expect in such a densely philosophical work.

Flint's work will serve as an excellent introduction to Molinism for the patient layman unfamiliar with the literature. It also goes a long way in explicating why Molinists believe as they do, and will force philosophers in other traditions to sharpen their arguments against Molinism. One other contribution to the current debate on free will and divine providence that Flint could have made, but didn't, is also significant: He sends no new fur a-flying. His tone is warm and genial, even huorous at times, thoughout. Thank you Prof. Flint!

In the end, I don't think Prof. Flint ultimately succeeds in his task of justifying Molinism. Despite his rigorous argumentation, I still find highly implausible the idea that we can somehow be responsible for the truth or falsehood of "counterfactuals of freedom" that were true or false billions of years before we were born. (Or true from all eternity, or whatever) Only a completely airtight argument could convince me of this, and as Flint himself admits, his argument is not completely airtight. Flint says in a couple of places that Molinism has may have its problems, but it is still the theory of Divine Providence that he embraces because he finds the other theories' problems to be so much worse. I think this is a judgement call on Prof. Flint's part (and I think he may agree with me) and, unfortunately, I have a different judgement. And so, still, after reading Flint's fine book, I am not a Molinist.

Nevertheless, "Divine Providence" is worth your time if you are interested in the current free will/providence debate. This book might not bring you into the Molinist camp either, but it will deepen your understanding of the Molinist position, and maybe even deepen your understanding of your own position.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Top-Rate Discussion of Divine Providence and Foreknowledge, November 10, 2008

By 

Kyle Demming "skepticalchristian.com" (Freeland, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Divine Providence: The Molinist Account (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion) (Paperback)

In "Divine Providence: The Molinist Account", Catholic theologian Thomas Flint endeavors to explicate and defend a particular view of God's foreknowledge and providence. The theory, which takes its title from the 16th century Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, attempts to reconcile the notions of divine providence and creaturely freedom.

Molinism contends that there are three logical moments of God's knowledge. In the first moment, God knows all logical possibilities. This includes every logically possible choice that every possible free agent could make in every possible situation. This conceptual stage of God's knowledge is known as natural knowledge. In the second moment, God knows all contingent truths that God does not determine Himself. Such truths include the free choices of agents endowed with free will. For example, a truth such as "If Adam is placed in the garden, he will freely sin" is included in this category. Herein lies the crucial notion of middle knowledge.

Middle knowledge does two important things. First of all, it limits the range of worlds God can create. For example, God may desire to create a world in which Adam is in the garden and Adam freely refrains from sinning. Yet, if Adam freely decides to sin when placed in the garden, then God cannot actualize such a world. Surely, He could override Adam's free will and force him to avoid sinning. But, then we wouldn't be talking about the same world. The second important function of middle knowledge is closely related to the first. This knowledge aids God in His decision-making and providential control of the world. For, God knows infallibly what every possible free creature would do in every possible circumstance. Thus, He can so create the world to have the desired effects by creating the right free creatures in the right physical circumstances to guarantee that His plans are achieved. Using this information, God freely decides to create the actual world. This brings us to the third stage of God's knowledge- what is known as free knowledge. This knowledge consists of all the facts about the actual world- past, present, and future. It is named `free knowledge' because it is based upon God's free creative decision.

Molinism is an extremely attractive account of providence for the Christian, argues Flint, because it allows us the possibility of upholding both a strong account of providence and a libertarian conception of free will. Other accounts tend to eliminate or severely restrict these key notions. For example, the open theism model strongly affirms libertarian free will. Yet, by denying that God has exhaustive foreknowledge of the future, this account greatly restricts the notion of God's providence. The Thomist account upholds a strong view of providence by affirming that God determines the truth value of all contingent facts. Yet, such a view must sacrifice any (plausible) account of libertarian freedom.

Flint separates the book into three sections. The first section is an explication of the Molinist account, where he explains in some detail the specific tenets and implications of the view. In the second section, Flint undertakes a detailed defense of the theory. His defense includes critiques of the three primary alternatives to Molinism, as well as responses to the main objections lodged against the account. This includes detailed discussions of the arguments offered by William Hasker and Robert Adams- perhaps the foremost contemporary critics of the Molinist account of providence.

Having responded to the serious objections leveled against it, Flint proceeds to examine some practical applications of the Molinist account in the third section. He applies the concept of middle knowledge to the issues of papal infallibility, prophecy, unanswered prayer, and retrospective prayer. In each case, Flint contends that the doctrine of middle knowledge can help us gain important insight into these doctrines. The issues here get a bit technical at times, but the discussion is certainly fruitful, and it demonstrates that Molinism is a powerful account that can prove very useful for understanding the Christian faith.

On the whole, I heartily recommend "Divine Providence". Flint's witty writing style and clever examples make the book fun to read. Nevertheless, the discussion is high-level and proves to be intellectually challenging. For the Christian who has struggled with the issue of divine foreknowledge and human freedom, Flint's book should be a compelling read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read on Molinism, February 26, 2011

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S. Jasin "me" (Palo Alto) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Divine Providence: The Molinist Account (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion) (Paperback)

This book should be in the shelve of everyone who wants to understand Molinism. Other important books on Molinism is Craig's The Only Wise God, Keathley's Salvation and Sovereignty and Luis de Molina's On Divine Foreknowlegde.

If you are interested in Molinism, start with Craig's book.

A side note, William Lane Craig also has a lot of readable papers on Molinism in his website - just google his name :)