Counterpossible Dependence and the Efficacy of the Divine Will

Abstract

The will of an omnipotent being would be perfectly efficacious.Alexander Pruss and I have provided an analysis of perfect efficacy that relies on non-trivial counterpossible conditionals.Scott Hill has objected that not all of the required counterpossibles are true of God.Sarah Adams has objected that perfect efficacy of will (on any analysis) would be an extrinsic property and so is not suitable as a divine attribute.I argue that both of these objections can be answered if the divine will is taken to be the ground, rather than the cause, of its fulfillment.