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Will, Free

Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy

Abstract

Renaissance philosophy receives the patristic traditions of Augustine and Bernhard of Clairvaux as well as the scholastic teachings of Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus. In the fourteenth century, the moderate voluntarism of John Buridan and the consistent voluntarism of William Ockham become dominant new currents. Along with these, Thomas Aquinas’s view of human action continues to exercise a great influence in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Many Renaissance authors develop an interest to the issues of fate and fortune, teaching that human free will is an exception to the general rule of fate and providence. Fatalist and determinist views of John Wycliff and Lorenzo Valla are normally rejected. Erasmus of Rotterdam argues that free will can be defended on both moral and biblical grounds.

Martin Luther and John Calvin want to downplay the significance of free will in religious matters. After Philip Melanchthon, early Lutheranism nevertheless affirms free will in nonreligious life. While Calvinism teaches predestination, it also wants to affirm human moral responsibility, sometimes approaching Neo-Stoicism. The Council of Trent affirms the existence of free will (liberum arbitrium). Luis de Molina’s doctrine of “middle knowledge” (scientia media) aims at proving that God’s foreknowledge does not rule out human free will. Francesco Suarez and René Descartes affirm similar positions. At the same time, early modern natural science underlines determinist causality. In Renaissance literature, authors like Marsilio Ficino and William Shakespeare, portray a many-sided will that establishes flexible individual identities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 4, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Risto Saarinen

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  1. Risto Saarinen
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Correspondence to Risto Saarinen .

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  1. University of Verona, Mantova, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

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Saarinen, R. (2016). Will, Free. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_212-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_212-1

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  1. Latest

    Will in Renaissance Philosophy, Free
    Published:
    17 October 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_212-3

  2. Will, Free
    Published:
    23 May 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_212-2

  3. Original

    Will, Free
    Published:
    14 June 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_212-1

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