Religious Studies, pages 1-13

Engaging Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism: is occasionalism really avoidable?

Publication typeJournal Article
Publication date2024-11-13
scimago Q1
SJR0.395
CiteScore1.2
Impact factor0.5
ISSN00344125, 1469901X
Abstract

This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to scientific realism, (2) the principle of simplicity, and (3) the reduction of Koperski’s model to occasionalism. We argue that despite his attempts to distinguish his framework, Koperski’s model ultimately collapses into occasionalism due to the continuous divine sustenance required for natural processes. By engaging with recent developments in metaphysical and scientific debates, this article highlights the limitations of Koperski’s decretalism.

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