Freedom, Intentionality, & Avoiding Collapse

Question #23: In a deeply Catholic view, how can we uphold God’s freedom and intentionality in creation while avoiding modal collapse–does an indeterministic link between God’s one simple act and its effects compromise divine intentionality?

From a deeply Catholic perspective, upholding both God’s freedom and His intentionality in creation while avoiding modal collapse requires careful distinctions about God’s act, our understanding of “indeterminism,” and the nature of divine intentionality. The Church has traditionally taught that God’s will is one, simple, and eternal, yet genuinely free and purposeful, without forcing all outcomes to be necessary.

1. No Intrinsic Necessity for Creation

Catholic theology insists there is nothing in God’s essence demanding that He create or determine one specific universe; God’s infinite self-sufficiency means He does not “need” the world. This ensures that creation is contingent rather than necessary. Hence, no “modal collapse” arises where everything God wills must be inevitable. Instead, God’s sovereign choice remains uncoerced–a free expression of His goodness.

2. Divine Simplicity Does Not Require Deterministic Causation

Because God is actus purus (pure act) without unrealized potential, His single, indivisible act of being/willing does not unfold in parts or sequences. This unity does not imply He “had to” will exactly this outcome, nor does it imply some kind of deterministic chain. Rather, it means that God’s will and knowledge coexist timelessly in a perfect, singular expression. The effect (creation) is contingent on God’s free decree, but that decree itself is not the product of any internal deficiency or external pressure.

3. Intentionality Flows From Divine Knowledge and Love

God’s intentionality is rooted in His perfect intellect and will (Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I.19). God is not indifferent or “randomly” producing worlds; He knows exactly what He wills and why. The lack of an internal necessity does not reduce God’s act to “indeterminism” in the sense of being arbitrary or capricious. Instead, the absence of compulsion allows for a choice that is wholly self-determined, grounded in divine wisdom and love. Thus, no compromise occurs in God’s ability to act intentionally; if anything, divine simplicity emphasizes that God’s intention is fully integrated with His being–there is no conflict between will, knowledge, or essence.

4. Avoiding Modal Collapse

Modal collapse would occur if God’s willing something made it metaphysically impossible for Him to will otherwise. But Catholic thought distinguishes between the unchanging, eternal nature of God’s single act and the contingency of its content. God does not undergo a transition of mind, but He could have willed otherwise had He so chosen. Creation, therefore, arises from His free determination–free precisely because nothing internal to God requires a particular effect. In that sense, God’s one simple act remains eternally the same, yet is not forced to produce the world it produces.



In summary, God’s pure act and freedom coexist by virtue of His sovereignty: He has no unfulfilled need that compels Him, and thus His will is truly free and intentional. Far from compromising divine intentionality, this framework shows that all effects are perfectly chosen and yet contingent–safeguarding the Church’s teaching that creation is a free, loving gift rather than a necessity.

(see #18, #31)