<p>Where does the notion of free will come from? How and when did it develop, and what did that development involve? In Michael Frede's radically new account of the history of this idea, the notion of a free will emerged from powerful assumptions about the relation between divine providence, correctness of individual choice, and self-enslavement due to incorrect choice. Anchoring his discussion in Stoicism, Frede begins with Aristotle--who, he argues, had no notion of a free will--and ends with Augustine. Frede shows that Augustine, far from originating the idea (as is often claimed), derived most of his thinking about it from the Stoicism developed by Epictetus. </p>

A Free Will: Origins of the Notion in Ancient Thought (Sather Classical Lectures, Vol. 68) (Volume 68)

Politics & Social Sciences

Michael Frede

Philosophy

University of California Press

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Books by Michael Frede

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Michael Frede. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A Free Will: Origins of the Notion in Ancient Thought (Sather Classical Lectures, Vol. 68) (Volume 68)