St. Anselmo and the Debates on Free Will

Abstract

This article looks at St. Anselmo’s position on the two classical debates over free will. It beginsby demonstrating his notion of free will consists not only of the “power to sin and not to sin,” but also, ingeneral terms, it assumes no possible alternatives. Secondly, it explains his notion of free will rests on the factthat it cannot be coerced by factors external to it, given its capacity to give or withhold consent. This understandingof free will on which moral responsibility rests also is shown to be compatible with determinism. Assuch, it places St. Anselmo in a second debate as a compatibilist philosopher.