Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra on God’s Knowledge of Particulars

Abstract

The problem of God’s knowledge of particulars goes back to the beginnings of classical philosophy, and within the context of Islamic philosophy and theology, diverse schools have arisen which respond to this problem in different ways. The scope and depth of God’s knowledge of our world, which also includes knowledge of human will and human action, is the subject of Ibn Sina’s account of God’s knowledge of particulars, which I set out to discuss in this paper followed by Mula Sadra’s main criticisms of his premises and argumentation, finally providing my assessment of these two philosophers’ positions.