From Modal Collapse to Providential Collapse

Abstract

The modal collapse objection to classical theism has received significant attention among philosophers as of late. My aim in this paper is to advance this blossoming debate. First, I briefly survey the modal collapse literature and argue that classical theists avoid modal collapse if and only if they embrace an indeterministic link between God and his effects. Second, I argue that this indeterminism poses two challenges to classical theism. The first challenge is that it collapses God's status as an intentional agent who knows and intends what he is bringing about in advance. The second challenge is that it collapses God's providential control over which creation obtains.