The Grounding Problem of Divine Attributes

The present paper aims to show that Ibn Sina’s (Avicenna) analysis of existence in modal terms and his theory of concomitance concerning God’s properties can solve the problems faced by those contemporary theories that are committed to a non-nominalistic and non-Platonic realistic framework. In doing so, it first analyzes three contemporary views on abstract objects, namely divine conceptualism, theistic activism and divine simplicity, then addresses the problems that they are confronted with, with a particular focus on the grounding problem of divine attributes in God. Afterwards, it examines a prominent Mu’tazilite theory of predication, namely, the states (ahwāl) theory, as it foreshadows Ibn Sina’s solution to the grounding problem. Finally, it analyzes how Ibn Sina’s account of predication, which bears considerable similarities to the states theory, can help the theist solve the grounding problem without violating divine aseity or sovereignty, nor resulting in the bootstrapping problem.