Akdağ, Özcan, Gazâlî ve Aquino’lu Thomas’a Göre Tanrı’nın Özgürlüğü (Doktora Tezi), Erciyes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Kayseri 2015

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine whether God can be free in His actions according to al-Ghazâli and Thomas Aquinas, whether their assessment on divine actions has legitimacy and internal consistency. For this purpose, in the Introduction, it was given some general explanations on the problem and some works were done about this matter are taken into consideration and evaluated. In the first part of the dissertation, I tried to analyze the concept of ‘freedom’ and its relation to determinism. I also tried to give some explanations in terms of ontological and semantical aspects of the divine freedom. After these explanations, I pictured historical panorama of the problem of divine freedom and how to be understood divine actions in the historical period. In the second part of the dissertation, I tried to demonstrate how interaction took place between al-Ghazâli and Thomas Aquinas. After this step, I took into consideration the concept of God in al-Ghazâli and Thomas Aquinas, and I tried to give their resemblances and differences about this matter. In the third part of the dissertation, I considered their ideas about God-World relationship. In this context, I took in to consideration the issue of indicators of God’s freedom, like creation, miracles, relation between moral truths and God’s commands.