Free Will/ Libertarianism Flashcards
Define free will.
The theory that moral agents are free to make moral decisions i.e. humanity is not limited in the moral choices they can make. The concept of free will can be approached from either a religious of philosophical perspective.
Define Philosophical free will.
The philosophical idea that humanity’s free will is not limited by external factors/ forces (genetics, conditioning). Humanity has complete free will to make moral choices. It is often referred to as “libertarianism”.
Define Religious free will.
Religious concepts of free will are different to philosophical because they believe a moral agent is still potentially limited by an external force. This is because religious free will has to be understood within the context that there exists an omnipotent sovereign God. Therefore, the concept of religious free will concedes that God retains the power to control everything. Therefore, religious free will considers that God has allowed humanity the “will” to choose.
Who was Pelagius?
Pelagius was an ascetic monk, meaning he had chosen a religious path that prioritised abstention form worldly pleasures to pursue spiritual goals.
What did Pelagius blame for the abundance of sin he encountered in Rome?
The Catholic church’s predestination theology, later formulised by Augustine’s Doctrine of Predestination. People were not trying to control their urge to sin, because they felt the urge to sin was predestined and therefore they had no choice but to sin, which the “elect” would then confess.
How did Pelagius respond to this abundance of sin?
He argued humans had the free will to resist sin. He wrote two major works: ‘On Nature’ and ‘Defence of the Freedom of Free Will’. Pelagius’ theories angered the Catholic church establishment in Rome, so he was declared a heretic at the Council of Carthage.
Who partly influenced Pelagius’ theories on free will?
Early Christian writer St Justin.
What did St Justin say regarding free will?
“Every created being is so constituted as to be capable of vice and virtue. For he can do nothing praiseworthy, if he had not the power of turning either away.” Justin believed that humanity had to have free will because otherwise good actions would have no Godly moral worth.
What did Pelagius make about Original Sin?
An omnibenevolent God would not punish all humanity for the sins of Adam and Eve. Adam’s sin only affected him.
How does he evidence this?
Deut. 24:16 (Moses) “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sins.”
What does Pelagius’ comment on Original Sin mean for humanity?
We are not inflicted with an overwhelming desire to sin (contrasting Augustine’s “concupiscence”.
How does Pelagius express the lack of human inclination to sin?
“We may not seem forced to do evil through a fault in our nature”
What leads to sin, according to Pelagius?
Participation in the “fallen world”, not inherited tendency.
What did he go on to say about Original Sin?
That it may be seen as a good thing for humanity.
“If God simply instructed Adam and Eve to eat from the tree, and they had obeyed, they would have been acting like children. So, he forbade them from eating the fruit; this means they themselves had to make a free will decision, whether to eat or not to eat. Just as a young person needs to defy his parents in order to grow to maturity, so Adam and Eve needed to defy God in order to grow to maturity in his image.”
Adam and Eve were illustrating to God that humanity is mature enough to receive the gift of Free Will, to take responsibility for their own actions.
How did Pelagius evidence that all humanity could independently choose whether to follow God’s laws?
Old Testament examples of mature use of Free Will: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, etc.
Why were the Ten Commandments revealed to Moses, according to Pelagius?
As a reminder to humanity that they have the capacity to choose between good and evil (by choosing to follow the “laws).
A loving God would not create commandments that humans did not have the capacity to follow.
What did Pelagius say about human capacity for goodness?
“No one knows better the true measure of our strength than He who has given it to us”.
How did Pelagius refer to humanity’s free choice to resist temptation/ keep a commandment?
“Doing good works”.
How did Augustine critique Pelagius?
He is reducing God’s divine sovereignty/ omnipotence and neglecting God’s grace.
