John Heil

Being of One Substance


After expressing doubts that a fully satisfactory metaphysical account of the trinity is possible, the paper takes up an ontological picture proposed by Descartes (against a late scholastic background) and developed by Spinoza. The picture includes, in addition to substances, attributes and modes. After a brief excursion into Locke's account of persons, an account of the Trinity in terms of a single substance triply attributed is sketched and defended against one line of objection.

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