Research Snapshots

Can you describe an area of your current research? What is the main idea or argument?

My current research involves the problem of God and abstract objects. In short, the problem is that the God posited by classical theism, who is typically taken to be an utterly transcendent being responsible for the existence of everything else, is difficult to square with the notion of there being abstract objects, at least as they are commonly understood in the literature.

These abstract objects, if they exist, are taken to exist necessarily, timelessly, and unchangeably (which are the traits themselves attributed to the God of classical theism). The less controversial examples of such objects would be things like numbers, sets, and propositions. And if these things exist, it is hard to see how God could be responsible for their existence.

Basically, I want to find the most plausible solution to the problem that does not require significant revision of our understanding of mathematics and is faithful to classical theism.

What drew you to this particular topic?

All the major philosophers dealt with the God question and the debate continues today. I studied theology at undergraduate level which introduced me to classical theism and its chief representative, Thomas Aquinas. I also took a module on philosophy of religion through which I became interested in arguments for and against God’s existence.

Related to the question of God’s existence is the coherence of theism itself, for if the concept of God is incoherent then it is a good indication that God does not exist, which is where this topic fits in. I also think this topic is fruitful in that it brings insights from the history of philosophy to contemporary philosophical problems. Debates about ontology between realists and nominalists in the mediaeval era have resurfaced in contemporary metaphysics and philosophy of mathematics. As such, this topic brings together ideas from as diverse figures as Thomas Aquinas and W.V.O. Quine.

What new perspective or idea are you hoping to bring to philosophy with your work?

A recent book on the problem of God and abstract objects representing six different views did not include any responses from a classical theist. I hope to fill this gap and show the relevance of classical theists such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas in contemporary debates.

My own preferred method of doing philosophy is to retrieve ideas from the great philosophers of the past, tweak them to fit the language of modern analytic philosophy, and then put them to work in today’s context. It is remarkable how often a seemingly new idea or problem in philosophy had already been raised in some obscure scholastic tome hundreds of years prior.

While there are some historical purists as well as analytic chauvinists who may scoff at this approach, in my opinion it can lead to further progress both in the study of the history of philosophy and even the hyperspecialized modern scene.

October 2024