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1、AugustineonFreedomandGodMontagueBrownSaintAnselmCollegeAugustinewrotemuchabouttherelationshipbetweenGod’sactivityandhumanfreedom.Earlyandlateinhiscareer,heinsistsontwotruths:Godisthecauseofeveryactivityandwehavefreedomofchoice.Hedoesnotmeanthatouractionsarebothdeterminedandfree.Ift
2、hisiswhatcompatibilismmeans,thenAugustineisnotacompatibilist.HesimplyinsistsonhumanfreedomanddeniesthatGod’sprovidencetakesitaway.ButneitherdoeshemeanthatourfreeactionsarenotcausedbyGod.Thiswouldbeametaphysicalimpossibilityaswellasheretical.IfbeingfreefromGodiswhatlibertarianismmea
3、ns,thenAugustineisnotalibertarian.Thebestwecandophilosophicallytoexplainhowbothpropositionsaretrueisnegative:wecanshowthatitisnotpossibletodenyeitherone.WecannotdenythateverythingcomesfromGod,forfromanyexerciseofourreasonthinkingabouttheworld,wecometotheknowledgeoftheexistenceofGod
4、thecreator,sourceofallthatis.Norcanwetodenythatwehavefreechoice,forwithoutit“we”cannotactatall.Theonlypossiblepositiveexplanationistheological.InChristarebothdivineactivityandhumanfreedom.WeliveandactingracebyfreelyenteringintoacovenantfreelyofferedbyGod.Therelationshipbetweenhuman
5、freedomandGod’sactivity(whetherunderstoodasknowledge,causality,orgrace)isoneofthemostvexedproblemsinphilosophy.God’sactivityandhumanfreechoiceappeartobeexclusivealternatives.ForifwesaythatGod’sforeknowledgeisabsolutelycertain,orthatGodisthecauseofeveryactivity,orthatGod’sgraceisnec
6、essaryforustochoosethegood,thenitishardtoexplainhowourchoicescanbefree.Ontheotherhand,ifweclaimthatourchoicesarereallyfree,itseemswemustdenythatGodhasanypartinthem,eitherknowingthemwithcertaintyorcausingthem.ThismeansthatGodisnotomniscientoromnipotent.Theissueoffreechoicealsoplaysa
7、criticalroleinthatothervexedphilosophicalpuzzle—theproblemofevil.Forifwedonothavefreechoice,wearenottobeblamedorpraisedforouractions;rather,itisallGod’sdoing.Godbecomesresponsibleformoralevil,eitherbycausingitHimselforbypunishinguswhoarenotresponsibleforit.Augustinewrotemuchonthesu
8、bject,earlyandlateinhiscar
