Augustine's Way into the Will: The Theological and Philosophical Significance of De libero arbitrio

by Simon Harrison

Overview

An original account of Augustine's theory of will, based on a close reading of his pivotal and fundamental text, the dialogue On Free Choice. Simon Harrison takes Augustine's philosophical arguments and literary form seriously and so reveals a way of thinking about the will that is grounded in the individual reader's response. He shows the centrality of Augustine's philosophical method, his 'way in to the will', as opposed to the construction of a monolithic 'theory of will'. Harrison relates the argument of On Free Choice to other key texts of Augustine's, in particular the City of God and the Confessions, and rehabilitates a widely read but often misinterpreted book to show the importance of Augustine as a major philosopher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198269847
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/28/2006
Series:	Oxford Early Christian Studies
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	8.72(w) x 5.75(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

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

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Dissecting ‘de libero arbitrio'3 The integrity of lib.arb.4. Approaching the will5. Understanding, knowledge, and reponsibility6. Facilitas, difficultas, and voluntas7. A cogito-like argument? 8. Conclusion