PhD: Twitter quote 74

PhD: Twitter quote 74 

Photo: University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea Campuses, Waterfront development 

January 5, 2018

2010 Theodicy and Practical Theology: PhD thesis, the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter

Twitter version I

Edwards thinks there is a major difficulty within libertarian concepts concerning free will. Which would correspond to modern concepts of libertarian free will and incompatibilism. 

Twitter version II

Edwards on a problem: If human will determines the will & resulting choices, since every choice must have a cause, a chain is established where a will and choice is determined by a preceding will & choice. 

Twitter version III

Edwards on a problem: If the will determines its own free acts, every free act of will & choice is determined by a preceding act of will & choice. If a preceding act of will also be of free choice, that too was self-determined. 

EDWARDS, JONATHAN (1754)(2006) Freedom of the Will, Flower Mound, Texas. Jonathanedwards.com. Edited from my PhD thesis 

This error which Edwards points out is that of a vicious regress.

archived search: vicious regress 

In the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Simon Blackburn discusses ‘infinite regress’ and mentions that this occurs in a vicious way whenever a problem tries to solve itself and yet remains with the same problem it had previously. Blackburn (1996: 324) A vicious regress is an infinite regress that does not solve its own problem, while a benign regress is an infinite regress that does not fail to solve its own problem. Blackburn (1996: 324). Blackburn writes that there is frequently room for debate on what is a vicious regress or benign regress. Blackburn (1996: 324).

BLACKBURN, S. (1996) ‘Regress’, in Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

EDWARDS, JONATHAN (1729)(2006) Sovereignty of God, New Haven, Connecticut, Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University. http://edwards.yale.edu/archive/documents/page?document_id=10817&search_id=&source_type=edited&pagenumber=1 

EDWARDS, JONATHAN (1731-1733)(2006) Law of Nature, New Haven, Connecticut, Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University. 

EDWARDS, JONATHAN (1754)(2006) Freedom of the Will, Flower Mound, Texas. Jonathanedwards.com.