Divinity and Maximal Greatness (Hardcover, New)

Divinity and Maximal Greatness stands in the notable tradition of perfect-being theology. The book thoughtfully explicates the concept of divinity in terms of the notion of maximal greatness - a being is divine if and only if he is maximally great. Daniel Hill elucidates maximal greatness and the properties in which it consists: omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, beauty, and sempiternity. He analyses each attribute, and argues that each is possibly exemplified. In particular, he provides new analyses of omnipotence and omniscience that avoid the philosophical pitfalls discussed in the literature.Moreover, he posits that every divine being not only has full foreknowledge of what one will freely do, but also has middle knowledge of what one would have freely done in non-actual circumstances. He argues that all the divine attributes may be possessed together by a being: a divine being may be omnipotent and yet impeccable and so unable to sin, for example.