Augustine:

I. The nature of freedom

A. Freedom to choose between two options: good and evil.
1. Evil choices are of our own free will
a. OFC p1: !e can conclude" then" that nothing can ma#e the mind a follower of desire other
than its own will" that is" its own free choice.
b. OFC p1: $%each evil person is the author of his own evildoing.&
c. Class notes: facere male: doing evill'" involves intention. (eople author this #ind of evil.
. )ood choices are of our own free will.
a. OFC p*: Consider%whether 'ou would reall' dare to den' that when we want these things"
we have a good will. % Then should we not to that same e+tent re,oice that we
have something in our souls- what I am calling a good will%
.. Freedom implies human agenc' and moral responsibilit'.
1. OFC */: 0ow do we come to do an'thing in an evil wa'1 2nless I am mista#en" the reasoning
we have been through has shown that we do it b' the will3s free choice.
. Class notes: Augustine was a libertarian. 4ot compatible with an' t'pe of determinism. !e must
have freedom to have agenc' and moral responsibilit'. 5!e must be responsible in
order to vindicate )od of the creation of evil.6
*. Our free will is to blame for our actions and their outcomes.
a. OFC 576 p7: $%it is b' virtue of our will that we deservedl' live a praiseworth' and happ'
life or endure a wic#ed" unhapp' one.&
b. OFC 7*: $%free will- something without which no one can live rightl'%&
c. OFC */: 5not a 8uote6 freedom allows us to choose between temporal things and divine
things 5mutable9immutable goods6. Each person turns toward or awa' from each.
II. 0ow freedom is something good received from )od.
A. OFC 7:: $And so it happens that the goods that sinners see# are not in an' wa' evils" nor is free
will itself an evil- we have discovered that it is one of the intermediate goods. Evil is the will3s turning
awa' from the immutable good and its turning toward mutable goods. 4ow" since this turning awa' and
turning toward are not forced but are voluntar'" the punishment of unhappiness that the will subse8uentl'
suffers is deserved and ,ust.&
.. OFC 7: $ In the same wa'" it must be the case that free will" without which no one can live rightl'"
is a good and has been given b' )od.&
o ;ame page: $!hat possession of ours seems to 'ou to be better" something without which
we can live rightl' or something without which we cannot live rightl'1&
The discussion above is along the following lines: !e ac#nowledge that the hairs
on our head are goods that )od made" no matter how trivial" so it is reasonable to
thin# that free will is a good that )od made.
III. <et )od is not to blame for an' evildoing which results from freedom
A. OFC 7: $=oreover" 'ou must ac#nowledge that those who use this good in an evil wa' should be
condemned rather than that he who gave it ought not to have given it.&
- )od is not responsible for human evil. 5humans are.6
o OFC */: !e need to be careful that we do not in this wa' implicate )od as the author of
our evil deeds.
o Class notes: )od is the 0ighest )ood. Ever'thing that e+ists other than )od comes from
)od. Onl' good comes from the 0ighest )ood. Evil9sins9evil doing e+ist. 5>oes )od
create evil1 4o. onl' )ood can come from )od.6
o Class notes: Evil for Augustine is a desire" or an act? it is not a thing. Therefore" )od did
not create it.
o )od is not the creator of evil because it is shameful for a Christian to thin# that )od is not
good" and a good )od can3t create evil. 0e creates .-t'pe evils 5punishments: evil
suffered6 but not A-t'pe evils 5acting evill': evil done6.
OFC" 1: $ !ell" if 'ou #now- or believe- that )od is good 5and of course it is
shameful to thin# otherwise6" then )od does not act in an evil wa'. =oreover" if we
confess that )od is ,ust 5to den' that" too" would be a sacrilege6" then he assigns
punishments for evils ,ust as he assigns rewards for goods.&
Anselm:
The nature of freedom
- For Anselm" freedom of choice is the (O!E@ to preserve the rectitude of the will. Freedom of
choice can3t be lost because that (O!E@ is )od-given. A being sins through A free choice" that of
choosing to lose the rectitude of the will" but the (O!E@ to preserve the rectitude alwa's
remains. The fact that the rectitude has been released b' the being renders the (O!E@ useless"
but the #e' point is that freedom of choice 5(O!E@6 alwa's remains no matter what choices the
being ma#es.
- OF>" :7: $)od did give him 5the bad angel6 the will and the (O!E@ to receive
perseverance%.0e didn3t receive it" and therefore he didn3t have it.&
- OF> :A: $.ut I didn3t sa' that )od gave him the receiving of perseverance" onl' that )od gave
him the will and the power to receive perseverance.&
o 4otice: This passage clearl' illustrates that )od gave the power" but the receiving of
perseverance in the rectitude of the will was freel' up to the bad angel" who didn3t receive.
How freedom is something good received from God
- OF>" :B: $;o surel'" ,ust as whatever is from the supreme )ood is good" and ever' good is from
the supreme )ood" so also whatever is from the supreme .eing has being" and ever' being is from
the supreme .eing. Therefore" since the supreme )ood is the supreme .eing" it follows that
ever'thing good has being and ever' being is good. ;o since nothing and nonbeing do not have
being" the' are not good. And so nothing and nonbeing are not from him from whom onl' good
and being come.&
o Two-fold use for this line of reasoning in Anselm: Freedom" being received from )od"
must be something good. Also" evil is nothing? it doesn3t have good or being" and since
)od is perfect good and being" nothing he ma#es can lac# these 8ualities. Therefore" )od
didn3t ma#e evil.
yet God is not to blame for any evildoing which results from freedom
- OF>" :B: $;o surel'" ,ust as whatever is from the supreme )ood is good" and ever' good is from
the supreme )ood" so also whatever is from the supreme .eing has being" and ever' being is from
the supreme .eing. Therefore" since the supreme )ood is the supreme .eing" it follows that
ever'thing good has being and ever' being is good. ;o since nothing and nonbeing do not have
being" the' are not good. And so nothing and nonbeing are not from him from whom onl' good
and being come.&
o Two-fold use for this line of reasoning in Anselm: Freedom" being received from )od"
must be something good. Also" evil is nothing? it doesn3t have good or being" and since
)od is perfect good and being" nothing he ma#es can lac# these 8ualities. Therefore" )od
didn3t ma#e evil.
- OF>" 7A: .' contrast" the nature in which there is in,ustice is something evil" since it is
something" and something distinct from in,ustice" which is evil and nothing. Therefore" that which
is something is brought about b' )od and is from )od" but that which is nothing" i.e." evil" is
brought about b' the un,ust person and is from him.
o 5)od gives the person their nature but that person ma#es it evil and is responsible for the
fact that it is evil" not )od. The person freel' chose" but the result is not from )od.6
- OF>" BC: Then in the same wa' 'ou must sa' that the devil" who received the will and the power
to receive perseverance and did not persevere because he did not finish willing. %top p B1: $0e
spontaneousl' forsoo# the will he had.&
o 0ere" Anselm is sa'ing that the devil gave up the rectitude of the will" using his freedom
instead to be evil. 5I interpret this as: the devil had 5from )od6 the power for rectitude"
which Anselm defines as freedom" but the devil didn3t will to perservere in the rectitude.
The devil3s evil doing" which is his failure to persevere" is not )od3s fault" even though it is
an evil that results from the (O!E@" a#a freedom" that )od gave.
- OF> AA: $0e abandoned ,ustice because he willed what he ought not to will" and he abandoned it
by willing what he ought not to will. % !h' did he will it1 ;impl' because he willed it.&
o This line shows that Anselm thin#s the devil is completel' at fault for his evil" not )od.
Which view is more compelling? Explain
- Augustine sa's: well" it is shameful to thin# that )od is bad" etc% this is not an argument" and that
is not compelling.
- Anselm3s concepts of )od giving but the devil not accepting the rectitude is compelling.