Book contents
- The Philosophy of Antoine Arnauld
- The Philosophy of Antoine Arnauld
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Prologue
- Acknowledgments
- Primary Source Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Method, Metaphysics, and Epistemology
- Part II God
- Preface to Part II
- Chapter 8 Knowledge of God
- Chapter 9 God’s Nature
- Chapter 10 God and the Eternal Truths I
- Chapter 11 God and the Eternal Truths II
- Afterword
- References
- Index
Preface to Part II
Conceptions of God
from Part II - God
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 November 2025
Book contents
- The Philosophy of Antoine Arnauld
- The Philosophy of Antoine Arnauld
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Prologue
- Acknowledgments
- Primary Source Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Method, Metaphysics, and Epistemology
- Part II God
- Preface to Part II
- Chapter 8 Knowledge of God
- Chapter 9 God’s Nature
- Chapter 10 God and the Eternal Truths I
- Chapter 11 God and the Eternal Truths II
- Afterword
- References
- Index
Summary
Arnauld was primarily a theologian who engaged philosophical questions most often at the service of a theological goal. It is thus not surprising that some of his most sophisticated and interesting philosophical work concerns questions related to his conception of God. In the next four chapters, I defend a novel interpretation of Arnauld’s conception of God that I call a ‘partially hidden’ conception of God. Arnauld’s account of God is a subtle amalgam of two other conceptions of God: the Cartesian account of God on the one hand and the Jansenist Dieu caché (or hidden God) account on the other. Arnauld’s account of God is principled, grounded in his method, and consistent from text to text. While it may seem that Arnauld makes use of different conceptions of God in different texts to suit his dialectical purposes, I think this appearance is a consequence of failing to appreciate the novelty and subtlety of his view.
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- The Philosophy of Antoine Arnauld , pp. 167 - 180Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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