Book corner · Philosophy · Intermediate
On the Free Choice of the Will
De libero arbitrio
Augustine of Hippo · c. 388–395 · Short (under 150 pages)
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What it is
A dialogue in three books between Augustine and his friend Evodius, begun in Rome around 388 and finished in Africa in the mid-390s. It opens with the question whether God is the cause of evil. Book I distinguishes the evil we suffer from the evil we do, traces wrongdoing to inordinate desire for things that can be lost against our will, and contrasts temporal law with the eternal law. Book II asks why God gave us a will that can sin. On the way Augustine offers a proof of God's existence: reason finds truths, such as those of number and wisdom, that are higher than the human mind and the same for everyone, and what is higher than our minds is either God or leads to God. Free will turns out to be a real good, though a middle good that can be misused. Book III asks why the will turns away from the highest good, and argues that God's foreknowledge does not force our choices.
Why read it
It is the classic statement of the free-will defence against the problem of evil, and a short, readable way into Augustine's arguments about God, truth and responsibility.
Where to start
Read Book I and the first half of Book II; Thomas Williams's Hackett translation is clear and inexpensive.
Original text in the public domain