Emergence and divine action: Exploring the dispositional view of causation as a new philosophical foundatio

This dissertation shows that dispositional metaphysics and its corresponding view of causation can serve as a new philosophical foundation for the dynamic model of emergence developed by Terrence Deacon and reconcile it with Aristotelianism. Moreover, it also demonstrates that Deacon's view of emergence, understood in terms of formal and final causation, supports, in turn, a retrieval of Aquinas' view of divine action, and its application in theological reflection inspired by the theory of emergence.;Such a theological model becomes an important alternative to the emergentist panentheism developed by Arthur Peacocke, and supported by Philip Clayton and Niels Henrik Gregersen. It no longer conceives God's action panentheistically as an influence on the totality of the world, which metaphysically assumes that the causation of God and creatures is of the same kind (univocal predication) and so runs the risk of collapsing into pantheism. Rather---recapturing the classical Thomistic understanding of divine action through all four Aristotelian causes---the proposed model sees God as the ultimate source of forms, and the ultimate aim of all teleology in nature. With regard to efficient causation, God's transcendence is protected by Aquinas' distinction between the primary and principal causation of the Creator and the secondary and instrumental causation of creatures. Therefore, God's immutability, omniscience, omnipotence, infinity, eternity, and impassibility are not challenged, while his immanent and constant presence in all worldly events is by no means undermined.;The argumentation leading to these conclusions includes: i) a historical overview of causation in philosophy and scientific explanation; 2) an exposition and critical analysis of the metaphysical aspects of both the classical top-down mereological view of emergence and the alternative dynamical model of emergence offered by Deacon; 3) an exposition of dispositional metaphysics and an investigation of its Aristotelian legacy, followed by its application in Deacon's view of emergence; 4) a historical overview and critique of philosophical panentheism, as well as an analysis of its use in contemporary science/theology dialogue; and 5) a critical analysis of the variety of theological responses to the theory of emergence, especially panentheistic emergentism, followed by the constructive proposal of a new theological understanding of emergence.