Augustine's Way Into the Will

The Theological and Philosophical Significance of de Libero Arbitrio
Erscheinungsjahr 2006
ISBN: 978-0-19-826984-7
Verlag: OUP Oxford

Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 425 g

Augustine's dialogue De libero arbitrio (On Free Choice) is, with his Confessions and City of God, one of his most important and widely read works. It contains one of the earliest accounts of the concept of 'free will' in the history of philosophy. Composed during a key period in Augustine's early career, between his conversion to Christianity and his ordination as a bishop, it has often been viewed as a an incoherent mixture of his 'early' and 'late' thinking. Simon Harrison offers an original account of Augustine's theory of will, taking seriously both the philosophical arguments and literary form of the text. Relating De libero arbitrio to other key texts of Augustine's, in particular the City of God and the Confessions, Harrison shows that Augustine approaches the problem of free will as a problem of knowledge: how do I know that I am free?, and that Augustine uses the dialogue form to instantiate his 'way into the will'.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Harrison, Simon

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Literaturwissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1: Introduction

- 2: Dissecting `de libero arbitrio'

- 3: The integrity of lib.arb.

- 4: Approaching the will

- 5: Understanding, knowledge, and reponsibility

- 6: Facilitas, difficultas, and voluntas

- 7: A cogito-like argument?

- 8: Conclusion

Über Autor(innen)

Simon Harrison was formerly a Research Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, and is currently training in medicine.