PHL206H1 Lecture Notes - Averroes
Document Summary
In medieval philosophy: god as first mover only (no creation): god can in no sense be said to create the world or matter; rather, the world and god are independent of existence and co-eternal. God is the first cause, but only of motion in the universe (e. g. , of the heavenly bodies). Right: creation in time but not ex nihilo: matter is co- Weak eternal with god; creation involves the imposition of form on original chaotic matter at a determinate point in time. Plato, timaeus (demiurge: eternal creation: dependence on an agent for one"s existence/being; creator and created are co- existent; matter is also eternally generated, but not. From nothing : it too exists so long as the creator exists. Creation is a necessary consequence of the creator"s nature. Farabi, avicenna: creation in time/ex nihilo: god creates all things, including matter and time, out of nothing. It does not follow that whenever the creator exists, creatures necessarily exist.
