Notes on Free-Will in Augustine and Anselm

Abstract

The notion that the will is a good given to the rational creature is present in Augustine's as well as in Anselm’s reflection when both approach the subject of free will. However, they differ on how to consider the will: for Anselm, freedom is thought of as the right determination of the will for good, it is the Power of not sinning, expression of the straightness of the will; for Augustine, free Will is understood as an intermediary good, which can adhere to the supreme good or withdraw from it and convert to a good that is its own, external or inferior. The aim of this article is to present some reading notes on (1) the freedom of the will in Augustine and (2) on the definition of freedom in Anselm.