On Divine Foreknowledge and Human Libertarian Freedom

Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Langston, Douglas

Keywords

Free Will, Determinism, God, Omniscience, Providence, Thomism, Aquinas, Thomas, Ockhamism, Molina, Luis de, Molinism, Aristotle, Aristotelianism

Area of Concentration

Philosophy

Abstract

In this thesis I investigate the compatibility of divine foreknowledge and human libertarian freedom, otherwise known as the problem of theological determinism. In the firstt part of my thesis I discuss contemporary versions of the three most traditional solutions to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge, viz. Thomism, Ockhamism and Molinism. After analyzing each proposed solution, I raise objections to their success at adequately maintaining the compatibility of foreknowledge and libertarian freedom. I argue that these solutions ultimately fail and that these considerations motivate us to search for alternative solutions. In the second part of my thesis, therefore, I attempt to define and defend what I call the Aristotelian solution to the problem of theological determinism. This solution, which amounts to a denial that God has foreknowledge of future contingents, is based on what I take to be the Aristotelian solution to the intrinsically related problem of logical determinism, viz. that atomic propositions regarding future contingents lack a truth value, and thus no sound argument for logical determinism can be made. After dispelling philosophical objections to the denial that propositions about future contingents have truth values, I respond to certain theological objections to Aristotelianism. I conclude that Aristotelians need not deny divine omniscience, and that Aristotelians are still able to maintain a suitable notion of divine providence despite God's lack of knowledge of specific future contingent events. I trust that the reader will find that Aristotelianism is at least as important and respectable a solution to the problem of theological determinism as the traditional alternatives presently discussed.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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