Molinism The Contemporary Debate

Molinism, named after the sixteenth-century Spanish Jesuit Luis de Molina, re-emerged in the 1970s after it was unwittingly assumed in versions of Alvin Plantinga's Free Will Defence against the Logical Argument from Evil. The Molinist notion of middle knowledge--and especially its main objects, so-called counterfactuals of (creaturely) freedom--have been the subject of vigorous debate in analytical philosophy of religion ever since. Is middle knowledge logically coherent? Is it a benefit or a liability overall for a satisfying account of divine providence? The essays in this collection examine the status, defensibility, and application of Molinism. Friends and foes of Molinism are well represented, and there are some lively exchanges between them. The collection provides a snap-shot of the current state of the Molinism Wars, along with some discussion of where we've been and where we might go in the future. More battles surely lie ahead; the essays and ideas in this collection are likely to have a major impact on future directions. The essays are specially written by a line-up of established and respected philosophers of religion, metaphysicians, and logicians. There is a substantive Introduction and an extensive Bibliography to assist both students and professionals.

Ken Perszyk is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Head of the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. His primary research interests are in philosophy of religion and metaphysics. He has published articles on a range of areas, including Molinism, the Argument from Evil, the metaphysics of modality, the history of early analytical philosophy and Wittgenstein. He is the author of Nonexistent Objects: Meinong and Contemporary Philosophy (1993).