Does God have qualia? Some arguments in favour of the existence of divine qualia
Anna Lovas
Religious Studies September 28, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0034412526101838 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that God possesses qualia, offering four arguments based on traditional divine attributes. Contends that objections from divine simplicity do not stem from divine qualia per se but from pre-existing difficulties with simplicity, and proposes that a distinction between personal perspectives addresses concerns about emotions unworthy of God. |
Abstract
Abstract Does God have qualia, does He know the ‘what it is like’ character of experiences? The questions run deep into the metaphysics of God as they concern concepts that most traditional theists accept with regard to God: that He is personal, loving, omniscient, omnipotent, and created the world ex nihilo . Building upon these concepts, I present four arguments in favour of the existence of divine qualia. Positing divine qualia may seem incompatible with divine simplicity, a tenet of classical theism, and the problem of emotions unworthy of God also may arise. I argue that the difficulties regarding simplicity do not stem from the existence of divine qualia per se but are related to difficulties already established in relation to simplicity. As for emotions unworthy of God, I try to show how a careful distinction between personal perspectives can offer a solution.