Boethius on the Problem of Freedom

1
Boethius on the Problem of Freedom Determinism

• Boethius (480-524 AD)
• Fluent in both Latin and Greek
• Familiar with works of both Plato Aristotle
• Translated Aristotles logical works into Latin
• Thereby transmits Aristotles logical works to
  early medieval western Europe
• Aristotles other works remain unknown in western
  Europe until 1100

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• Appointed to the office of Consul by the Roman
  Emperor Theodoric
• Christian, opposed to Arian heresy, which denied
  the full divinity of Christ and which was
  espoused by Theodoric
• Accused of treason, imprisoned executed
• While imprisoned composed The Consolation of
  Philosophy, which includes an analysis of the
  problem of freedom and determinism

3
Freedom Determinism

• Is Human Freedom Compatible with Gods
  omniscience?
• If God already knows with complete certainty
  whatever you will ever do, how could your future
  be up to you to determine?
• How could you be genuinely free in planning your
  life and enacting your plans if God already knows
  what you will plan and what you will do?

4
The Preliminary Argument

• God foreknows everything that will happen
• So, God foreknows my future in full detail
• What God foreknows must happen exactly as it does
  happen
• Hence, my future must happen exactly as it does
• If my future must happen exactly as it does, then
  my future is necessary
• Thus, my future is necessary
• If my future is necessary, then I am not free
• Consequently, I am not free!

5
Boethius Rejects the Preliminary Argument

• According to Boethius
• The preliminary argument conceals a mistake
  pertaining to how the concept of necessity
  appears in the argument
• It is true that if my future is necessary, then I
  am not free
• But the argument fails to prove that my future is
  necessary
• In general knowledge of X does not imply the
  necessity of X
• So, Gods knowledge of my future does not imply
  the necessity of my future
• Augustine was entirely incorrect in supposing
  that Gods omniscience implies the necessity of
  what God knows
• Hence, the Augustinian argument that begins with
  the assumption of Gods omniscience fails to
  prove that all my actions are necessary and, so,
  fails to prove that I am not free
• Hence, Boethius is a compatibilist in the sense
  that he maintains that Gods omniscience is
  compatible with human freedom