Ep. #37 – Classical Theism & Divine Simplicity with Dr. Stump
Summary
Dr. Eleonore Stump joins us to answer the following questions. What is classical theism? Do advocates of classical theism believe God is impersonal? How should we understand divine simplicity? With helpful examples and analogies, Dr. Stump explains several important tenets to keep in mind when thinking about the God of classical theism.
Guest Bio
Eleonore Stump is the Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. She is also Honorary Professor at Wuhan University and at the Logos Institute, St. Andrews, and a Professorial Fellow at Australian Catholic University. She has published extensively in philosophy of religion, contemporary metaphysics, and medieval philosophy.
Her books include Aquinas (2003), Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering (2010), and Atonement (2018). She has given the Gifford Lectures at Aberdeen (2003), the Wilde Lectures at Oxford (2006), the Stewart Lectures at Princeton (2009), and the Stanton lectures at Cambridge (2018). She is a past president of the Society of Christian Philosophers, the American Catholic Philosophical Association, and the American Philosophical Association, Central Division; and she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Show Outline
In the first segment, Dr. Stump discusses the term ‘classical theism.’ She explains that it is a piece of taxonomy and refers to a position that accepts all of the divine attributes of the patristic and medieval tradition. Notably, classical theists accept divine simplicity, immutability, and eternity.
In the next segment, Dr. Stump explains how Classical Theists can avoid thinking about God as an impersonal, inert, static entity. She argues that Aquinas, who many Classical Theists take as their leader, certainly did not think about God in that way. She also provides helpful information regarding how we can think about divine simplicity.
In the final segment, Dr. Stump uses an excellent analogy from Flatlands to help us think further about the eternal, simple, immutable God of Classical Theism. She also provides a brief description of her newest book on Atonement.
Resources Mentioned
Dr. Stump’s Lectures on Aquinas’ Worldview from Now You Know Media
Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering by Dr. Eleonore Stump
Atonement by Dr. Eleonore Stump
Related Episodes
CORE #00 – Introduction to the Podcast
Ep. #32 – An Interview with Dr. Edward Feser
