← the founders library

On Free Choice of the Will

Augustine, translated with an introduction by Thomas Williams

Book content checked: . What this means

Buy a copy
Amazon USAmazon UKAmazon DE

These are Amazon affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Founder connections

  • Brunello CucinelliRecommended in his published three-book selection
    Cucinelli selects Augustine’s On Free Choice of the Will in his August 3, 2019 Air Mail book recommendations. The first selection and his explanation are publicly visible; the remaining two selections require an email or subscription. His own edition is unknown.
    Source

Summary

Augustine examines moral responsibility through a dialogue with Evodius about the source of evil. The argument asks how wrongdoing relates to human choice and how that choice can be discussed within belief in a good God.

The work develops its questions across three books rather than offering a list of moral rules. It belongs to Augustine’s early response to the problem of evil; his later writings on grace form a further discussion, not a substitute title for this one.

  • SourceOn Free Choice of the Will — original publisher edition · Hackett: Augustine, Thomas Williams translation/introduction, 1993, paperback ISBN 9780872201880. Original HTML downloaded after web reader returned 403.
  • SourceAugustine — publisher-authorized introduction to the same work · Peter King introduction, printed pp. xvi–xviii / PDF pages 14–16: free choice, moral responsibility, evil, Evodius and the work’s early composition. Another translation is used only for work-level content evidence.

Why read it Our view

For founders reflecting on responsibility, follow how the dialogue separates a person’s choices from explanations that place blame elsewhere. Attend to how Augustine develops that question within his theological argument.