- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
(in Polish) Free Will. The History of an Idea from Antiquity to the Middle Ages 3800-FWHI22-M-OG
The lectures aim to present the most significant moments in the history of the notion of free will in classical Western philosophical thought. Rather than an overview of the various meanings of a particular term – such as the liberum arbitrium – the course offers an overview of the key issues involved in the concept of freedom. First, the idea of freedom as such should be problematised. Indeed, at least since the Hellenistic times, ancient philosophers understood freedom in a couple of different ways. The different conceptions of freedom involve such fundamental problems as contingency and necessity or the relationship between freedom and the possibility to choose among different alternatives. Second, the lectures focus on the ancient origins of the notion of free will as human power. Particular attention is given to the relationship between wanting and rationality on the one hand and, on the other hand, between wanting and non-rational desires. In this context, the problem of acrasia (the weakness of the will) should be examined as well. Starting from ancient Stoicism and Neoplatonism, the problem of the freedom of God is taken to account. Within the Augustinian tradition, the problem of whether God wills evil is an important one, not only from a strictly theological perspective but also for the understanding of the human will. The course also discusses some typically medieval issues, such as the second-order will or the conditional will, and some medieval ideas on the problems discussed since antiquity, such as the simultaneous presence of different desires in the same person. The problem of responsibility for one’s choices will be touched upon. Finally, the course includes an overview of the two contrasting positions, voluntarism and rationalism, in two main contexts: the Islamic medieval theology (the Muʿtazilites and al-Ashʿarī) and the late 13th-century Latin thought (Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus).
Uwzględnieni zostaną m.in. następujący autorzy:
- Platon i Arystoteles
- tradycja stoicka
- Epikur i epikurejczycy
- Plotyn
- Augustyn z Hippony
- Anzelm z Canterbury
- Piotr Lombard, Piotr z Poitiers i Stefan Langton
- Jan z Damaszku
- mutazylici i aszaryci
- Tomasz z Akwinu
- Duns Szkot
Type of course
general courses
Mode
Learning outcomes
Acquired knowledge:
K_W04, the student knows and understands the basic and advanced English philosophical terminology related to the problem of free will at the level C1 CEFR
K_W05 the student knows and understands the main currents of thought and the most important achievements within the discussed scope of the history of ideas
K_W07 the student has extensive knowledge of the views of selected philosophical authors and the current state of research on these authors
K_W09 the student thoroughly understands the nature of the concepts of free will and freedom and the historical variability of its meanings
K_W11 the student understands the general relationship between the formation of philosophical ideas and changes in culture and society
Acquired skills:
K_U01 the student can independently interpret a philosophical text, comment on it and confront theses from various texts in a creative and innovative way
K_U02 the student has the ability to determine the degree of importance of theses within the discussed problem or argumentation
K_U03 the student has the ability to analyse complex philosophical arguments, identify their foundations and assumptions, establish logical and argumentative relationships between theses
K_U09 the student has the ability to construct and creatively reconstruct arguments from the perspective of various philosophical positions, taking into account the types of argumentation specific to each of them and noticing the convergences and differences between them.
Acquired social competences:
K_K01 the student is ready to identify his/her knowledge and skills
K_K05 the student is ready to actively participate in social and cultural life, is interested in philosophical concepts in connection with other parts of cultural and social life
K_K06: the student is ready to actively participate in activities aimed at preserving the philosophical heritage and using it to understand social and cultural events.
Assessment criteria
Activity during classes. The student prepares a written essay on a topic related to the concept of free will by June 20, 2023. The assessment includes an oral discussion of the written work with the lecturer. Assessment criteria: in-depth understanding of the problem of free will, including its historical variability; acquaintance with theories maintained by the discussed authors; understanding the discussed philosophical texts; the ability to construct and creatively reconstruct arguments from the perspective of various philosophical positions, taking into account the types of argumentation specific to each of them and recognizing the similarities and differences between them; the ability to independently deepen one’s knowledge in the discussed field.
Acceptable number of missed classes without formal explanation: 2
Bibliography
Source texts. We will read passages from many works, including:
Plotinus, Ennead VI, 8, trans. A.H. Armstrong, Cambridge 1988.
Augustine, On the Trinity X, 11-12, trans. A.W. Haddan, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 3., Buffalo, NY 1887, rev. and ed. for New Advent by K. Knight,
Anselm of Canterbury, Truth, Freedom, and Evil. Three Philosophical Dialogues, ed. and trans. J. Hopkins and H. Richardson, New York 1967.
Stephen Langton, Quaestiones theologiae III, ed. M. Bieniak – W. Wciórka, Oxford 2021-2022.
Thomas Aquinas, On Evil, trans. R. Regan, ed. B. Davies, New York: Oxford University Press 2003.
John Duns Scotus, Contingency and Freedom. Lectura I, 39, trans. A. Vos et al., Dordrecht 1994.
Studies:
M. Frede, A Free Will: Origins of the Notion in Ancient Thought, Berkeley, CA 2011.
A. Kenny, Aristotle's Theory of the Will, Duckworth, London 1979.
S. Bobzien, Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy, Oxford 2001.
J. Purinton, “Epicurus on ‘Free Volition’ and the Atomic Swerve”, Phronesis, 44.4 (1999), 253–299.
B. Collette-Dučić, “Plotinus on Founding Freedom in Ennead VI.8[39]”, in The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism, P. Remes and S. Slaveva-Griffith (eds.), New York 2014.
T. O’Keefe, “Ancient Theories of Freedom and Determinism”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
G. Bonner, Freedom and Necessity: St. Augustine's Teaching on Divine Power and Human Freedom, CUA Press, 2007
T. Winter, The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology, Cambridge 2008.
P. Adamson, Philosophy in the Islamic World, Oxford University Press, 2016.
R. Saarinen, Weakness of the Will in Medieval Thought. From Augustine to Buridan, Helsinki 1993.
D.M. Gallagher, “Thomas Aquinas on the Will as Rational Appetite”, Journal of the History of Philosophy, 29.4 (1991), 559-584.
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: