The nature of Divine knowledge is a philosophical problem that preoccupied many theologians and philosophers in the monotheistic traditions, and the Islamic tradition in particular.
In the 11th century, Avicenna, a Muslim philosopher, presented a distinctive and untraditional view of divine knowledge that influenced not only the Islamic world but also the Jewish and Western traditions. He argued that God knows all things only in a universal way and that He has no knowledge of the particulars that exist in the spatial-temporal dimension.
I will briefly explain the key premises of Avicenna’s view and contextualize it within Islamic tradition. Then I will show how it intends to justify the concept of theodicy (justice of God). Finally, I will challenge the view that certain knowledge, such as self-awareness, cannot, by definition, be accessible to the divine intellect. Two anticipated responses to the challenge above will be examined.
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