Control of the Will: Philosophical and Theological Reflections
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Authors
Learned, Douglas A.
Issue Date
1990
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
In the following chapters I will discuss the issue of Free Will. Instead of focusing
on whether we have free will in an objective sense - trying
to come to a better understanding of how we are
or are not in control - I will focus on how we as agents
might gain control through our experience as agents.
In Chapter 1 I will introduce us to the historical
problem of free will so that we might gain a sense of
the what we are up against. Plato and Aristotle are the
philosophers I have chosen to outline because they are
foundational to the rationalistic agenda to understand
the nature of our will. I will then summarize
Augustine's arguments concerning free will because he
combines the the classical concerns of Plato and
Aristotle with the religious concerns of a Neo-Platonic
Christian. In Chapter 2, I will outline what I feel to
be a sensible philosophical approach to understanding
how we as agents can reconcile our modern understanding
of causality with a common understanding of our own
agency. In Chapter 3 will outline my theological
concerns with free will, and will conclude with a
Christocentric answer to gaining an identity through a
religious understanding of God's effect in our lives.
Description
iv, 44 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.