Libra

Abstract

The recurrent thesis of this book is that on the topic of free will, Descartes is a compatibilist—the will ‘’s freedom is compatible with its choice being determined by perceived evidence for it inone way rather than another. This is to say Descartes does not hold the libertarian view that human freedom requires indifference in the sense that a choice is free when and only when it occurs independently of all else. On this view, the difference that makes the difference in the occurrence or failure to occur of a free choice is nothing more than the unconstrained choice itself. Exploration of these concepts helps to explain how Descartes came to be accused of Pelagianism and Jansenism, both condemned as heresies yet diametrically opposed in these terms. The main focus here, however, is on fundamentally philosophical issues of responsibility, error, certainty, judgment, among others, in their historical context.