OPEN THEISM AND RISK MANAGEMENT: A PHILOSOPHICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

R. T. Mullins, Emanuela Sani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Open theism denies that God has definite exhaustive foreknowledge, and affirms that God takes certain risks when creating the universe. Critics of open theism often complain that the risks are too high. Perhaps there is something morally wrong with God taking a risk in creating a universe with an open future. Open theists have tried to respond by clarifying how much risk is involved in God creating an open universe, though we argue that it remains unclear how much risk is actually involved. We claim that open theists need to start developing theories about how God manages risks in order to bring about His purposes for the universe. In this article, we will take a philosophical and biological perspective on risk management that adds plausibility to open theism. We will consider how God can use different risk-management, surveillance, and redundancy systems in the natural world in order to accomplish His goals.

Original languageEnglish
JournalZygon
Volume56
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)591-613
Number of pages23
ISSN0591-2385
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Zygon® published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Joint Publication Board of Zygon.

Fields of Science

  • DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
  • God
  • molecular biology
  • open theism
  • risk management
  • RNA (ribonucleic acid)
  • 614 Theology
  • 611 Philosophy

Cite this