Long Paper 2 – Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will
As we’ve seen, the primary response to the problem of evil in medieval philosophy and theology is the free will defense, which shifts the responsibility for at least some of the bad things that occur in creation from God to humans.
However, human free will generates tensions with divine traits such as omniscience and immutability: If God is able to foresee all future events, wouldn’t this eliminate free will and other varieties of contingency in creation? Conversely, how could God accurately foresee the future and make prophecies if human beings can change the course of their lives?
Start the paper by summarizing the apparent conflict between human free will and divine foreknowledge.
Then lay out and evaluate three attempted solutions based, respectively, on the ideas of omniscience, determinism, and possible worlds.
Start with the view that God experiences all of time in a single instant.
Include at least one quote from Boethius, Aquinas, or Anselm.
And discuss the view that human choices and all contingent events are predetermined, clearly distinguishing between compatibilism, hard determinism, and libertarianism.
Include at least one quote from Siger, Luther, or Calvin.
In addition, discuss Scotus’ view that God foresees all the possible scenarios in the future but not the particular course it will in fact take, incorporating at least one quote from him.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of these three solutions, and what sorts of theological compromises do they make?
By way of conclusion, indicate which of these three views makes the most sense to you (you have to pick one!) and explain why.
Write clearly enough that another undergraduate who hasn’t taken this class would understand what you’re talking about.
Guidelines
Deadline – late
Upload to Blackboard as a Microsoft Word file (not a PDF), with your first and last name at the beginning of the file name and ‘Long Paper 2’ at the end.
Sources and Citations – Provide full citations for any quotations or paraphrases (not including class lectures), using any standard method that provides all of the relevant information (including exact page numbers or a URL with an exact date). Secondary sources are not required. Keep in mind that many internet sources are unreliable.
Sample: Augustine, “On the Free Choice of the Will,” in Medieval Philosophy, 4th edition, ed. Forrest E. Baird and Walter Kaufmann (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003), p. 81.
Place full citations in footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography – placed at the very end of the paper. Citations in the text or in footnotes should include only the author’s last name (if you are citing more than one author) and the page numbers (if there are any); add the year of publication if citing more than one text from the same author.
Cite individual chapters, authors, editors etc., with page numbers for the entire chapter.
See above for examples, and the biographical information at the top of the readings.
Length of the main body of the text – Minimum 1250 words, maximum 2000 words, excluding personal information, titles, footnotes, endnotes, and citations.
Include a word count on the top of the first page, along with your name and an original title.
Grammar, Spelling, Style, Organization – Remember to edit and revise your papers before turning them in. (Pro tip: Listening to what you wrote using a Text-to-Speech app will help you spot writing errors.) If there is more than one error, on average, per page, you will need to rewrite your paper. Students with serious writing issues will be required to take drafts of each of their papers to the Campus Writing Center in EN A012 for assistance.
Formatting – Number pages; 12 point type; Double-spaced; 1 inch margins.
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