Christian Monotheism (1989)

Abstract

AbstractMost arguments for monotheism ignore the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. This paper argues that there can be no more than one God in a way that gives the doctrine of the Trinity logical priority over the attributes traditionally used in arguments for God’s unicity—attributes like aseity, omnipotence, and omniscience. The argument of this paper makes no assumptions about the attributes included in divinity. It uses only the principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles and a Principle of Plenitude. The Identity of Indiscernibles is the principle that necessarily, if any object x has a certain complete set of properties in one world, there is no distinct object in any other world with just that set of properties. The basic idea of the Principle of Plenitude is that every property that is compatible with the essence of an object is something it is possible for it to have. The paper then offers a theory on the relationship between individuals and kinds that produces a plausible interpretation of the relationship among the persons of the Trinity.