Required reading
Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge (Vol 2) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Chapter 9 (Free agency) by reading up to the heading '3. Certainty consistent with liberty'.
My summary
This week Hodge begins teaching us about free agency.
Firstly he outlines three different theories of the will:
(i) necessity;
(ii) contingency;
(iii) certainty.
Secondly Hodge discusses the definition of ambiguous terms relevant to the subject, including:
(i) will;
(ii) motive;
(iii) cause;
(iv) liberty;
(v) ability;
(vi) self-determination.
What grabbed me
I appreciated Hodge's summary statement about the will: 'It is better to abide by the general statement. The will is not determined by any law of necessity ; it is not independent, indifferent, or self-determined, but is always determined by the preceding state of mind; so that a man is free so long as his volitions are the conscious expression of his own mind ; or so long as his activity is determined and controlled by his reason and feelings. '
We are free, but not independent.
Next week's reading
Conclude Chapter 9 (Free agency).
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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