God’s Knowledge: A Study on The Idea of Al-Ghazālī And Maimonides Cover Image

God’s Knowledge: A Study on The Idea of Al-Ghazālī And Maimonides
God’s Knowledge: A Study on The Idea of Al-Ghazālī And Maimonides

Author(s): Özcan Akdağ
Subject(s): Philosophy, Jewish studies, Non-European Philosophy, Theology and Religion, Comparative Studies of Religion, Middle-East Philosophy
Published by: Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İlahyat Fakültesi
Keywords: Philosophy of Religion; God’s Attributes; Omniscience; Particulars; al-Ghazālī, Moses Maimonides

Summary/Abstract: Whether God has a knowledge is a controversial issue both philosophy and theology. Does God have a knowledge? If He has, does He know the particulars? When we assume that God knows particulars, is there any change in God’s essence? In the theistic tradition, it is accepted that God is wholly perfect, omniscience, omnipotent and wholly good. Therefore, it is not possible to say that there is a change in God. Because changing is a kind of imperfection. On God’s knowledge, another controversial issue is whether God knows particulars or not. Most of theist thinkers argued that God is wholly perfect; because of perfectness, He must have perfect attributes. Knowing and goodness are a kind of perfect attributes. Ignoring and evil are a kind of imperfectness. If God is perfect being, He should have the perfect attributes and must know the particulars. For me in this subject, there are some similarities between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides. In this study I took into consideration the idea of al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on this subject. Based on Griffel and Stroumsa’s argument, I tried to show similarity between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on God’s knowledge.

  • Issue Year: 22/2018
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 1747-1763
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: English