Freedom, Fatalism, and Foreknowledge

by John Martin Fischer (Editor), Patrick Todd (Editor)

We typically think we have free will. But how could we have free will, if for anything we do, it was already true in the distant past that we would do that thing? Or how could we have free will, if God already knows in advance all the details of our lives? Such issues raise the specter of "fatalism". This book collects sixteen previously published articles on fatalism, truths about the future, and the relationship between divine foreknowledge and human freedom, and includes a substantial introductory essay and bibliography. Many of the pieces collected here build bridges between discussions of human freedom and recent developments in other areas of metaphysics, such as philosophy of time. Ideal for courses in free will, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion, Freedom, Fatalism, and Foreknowledge will encourage important new directions in thinking about free will, time, and truth.

Genres: Philosophy

408 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2015

Reviews

[Cain S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of important papers in the literature dealing with fate, fatalism, free will, and divine foreknowledge. Competing accounts of the logic of future contingents are discussed in detail, providing a good overview of available options.