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Chapter 7 - Will in God

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2026

Brian Davies
Affiliation:
Fordham University, New York
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Summary

This chapter examines Aquinas’s account of will in God, showing how it builds on his teaching about knowledge. For Aquinas, will follows from intellect: as truth is the object of understanding, so good is the object of desire. Since God knows himself as perfect goodness, he necessarily delights in himself and thus has will essentially. God also wills creatures, yet not by necessity: creation is free, not compelled by divine nature or by anything external. Aquinas contrasts divine willing with human volition, stressing that while human will involves deliberation and change, God’s will is identical with his essence. Love, as the first movement of will, is also properly ascribed to God: God loves creatures insofar as he wills their existence and goodness, though unequally. The chapter also considers modern critiques – such as Kretzmann’s appeal to Dionysius and Swinburne’s theistic personalism – arguing that Aquinas avoids anthropomorphism by rooting will in divine simplicity.

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  • Will in God
  • Brian Davies, Fordham University, New York
  • Book: Thomas Aquinas's Philosophy of God
  • Online publication: 14 August 2026
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  • Will in God
  • Brian Davies, Fordham University, New York
  • Book: Thomas Aquinas's Philosophy of God
  • Online publication: 14 August 2026
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Will in God
  • Brian Davies, Fordham University, New York
  • Book: Thomas Aquinas's Philosophy of God
  • Online publication: 14 August 2026
Available formats
×