author: Viktor Bilinskyi
Urgency of the research. The problem of freedom has always been and remains one of the most important and relevant problems not only in philosophy, history, political science and other sciences, but also in other social spheres, such as: religion, law, culture, economy, politics, etc. In this article, the author considered the problem of free will in the philosophical system of the medieval philosopher and theologian Aurelius Augustine, to whom the Catholic Church conferred the title of Blessed.
Turget setting. Freedom of will is one of the most important and fundamental problems of today. It concerns not only philosophy, but also such areas as: law, politics, economy, religion, etc. In each of these spheres, human free will appears differently, which is determined by the specifics of the corresponding social context.
Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. This problem, to a certain extent, found its coverage in the writings of such Ukrainian researchers as: V. Gogol [6], M. Doychyk [8], and others. V. Gogol in his article “Anthropological teaching of St. Augustine” [6] analyzes the reasoning of Aurelius Augustine regarding the origin of the soul, the problem of the unity of two substances - soul and body, and human free will. Indirectly, these problems in the light of the Augustinian understanding of the idea of human dignity were also touched upon by the modern Ukrainian researcher M. Doichyk in his article “The Antinomic Dimension of Human Dignity in the Christian Philosophy of Aurelius Augustine” [8].
The research objective. The purpose of the study is a historical-philosophical analysis of the ideological legacy of Aurelius Augustine, in that part of it that concerns the conceptual features of his understanding of the problem of the relationship between free will and human dignity, their relationship with God's will and Divine law.
The statement of basic materials. The philosopher considers free will as one of the attributes that is inherent only to man, as the crown of God's creation. Free will belongs to the essence of a person, and gives him the opportunity to choose between good and evil, so he fights with himself every day, and in his heart good fights with evil, and who wins depends on how righteous and close a person is to God.
Conclusions. So, the concept of “free will” is considered by Aurelius Augustine in the light of teleological determinism: human free will is limited by God's will and predestination. Only God can give a person true freedom, free him from the slavery of sin and cleanse his soul of evil and defects, fill it with love for neighbors and enemies.
Keywords: man, free will, dignity, spiritual and moral improvement, theocentrism, history of philosophy, cognition, idea
References:
- Sviate Pysmo Staroho ta Novoho Zavitu (The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments) (n. d.). Dostupno : <https://biblia-nova.co.ua/uk/ogi/>. [23 Berezen 2024].
- Sviatyi Avhustyn 1999, Spovid (Confession), Kyiv: Osnovy, 319 s.
- Bilinskyi, VR 2022, ‘Svoboda yak chynnyk hidnosti liudyny u filosofii Avreliia Avhustyna (Freedom as a factor of human dignity in the philosophy of Aurelius Augustine)’, Materialy zvitnoi naukovoi veb-konferentsii vykladachiv, doktorantiv, aspirantiv universytetu za 2021 rik Prykarpatskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Vasylia Stefanyka, 4–5 kvitnia 2022 r., m. Ivano-Frankivsk. Ivano-Frankivsk : Prykarpat. nats. un-t im. V. Stefanyka, c. 80-82.
- Blazhennyi Avhustyn 1998, Tvorenyia (Creations), v 4-h tomah, t. 3: ‘O hrade Bozhyem (O city of God)’, Knyhy I – KhIII. Sankt-Peterburh: Aleteiia; Kyev: UTsYMM – press, 600 s.
- Blazhennyi Avhustyn 1998, Tvorenyia (Creations), v 4-h tomah, t. 2: ‘O svobode voly (On freedom of the will)’, Knyhy I – KhIII. Sankt-Peterburh: Aleteiia; Kyev: UTsYMM-press, 700 s.
- Hohol, V 2021, ‘Antropolohichne vchennia sviatoho Avhustyna (Anthropological teaching of St. Augustine)’, Visnyk Lvivskoho universytetu, Vyp. 37, c. 19 – 26.
- Dovbnia, V 2008, ‘Khrystyianska filosofiia doby patrystyky yak dzherelo filosofsko-osvitnikh pohliadiv H. Vashchenka (Christian philosophy of the patristic era as a source of philosophical and educational views of H. Vashchenko)’, Filosofiia osvity, 1-2 (7), s. 192 203. Dostupno : <https://enpuir.npu.edu.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/2541/Dovbnia.pdf?sequence=1>. [23 Berezen 2024].
- Doichyk, MV 2013, ‘Antynomichnyi vymir hidnosti liudyny u khrystyianskii filosofii Avreliia Avhustyna (The antinomic dimension of human dignity in the Christian philosophy of Aurelius Augustine)’, Hileia : naukovyi visnyk, Vyp. 75 (№ 8), c. 269 – 272.
- Doichyk, MV 2018, Ideia hidnosti v istorii yevropeiskoi filosofii (The idea of dignity in the history of European philosophy). Monohrafiia, vydannia 2-he, dopovnene, Ivano-Frankivsk: Prykarpat. nats. un-t im. V. Stefanyka, 394 s.
- Savytska, IM 2017, ‘Postanovka problemy svobody u khrystyianskii filosofii epokhy Serednovichchia (Statement of the problem of freedom in the Christian philosophy of the Middle Ages)’, Naukovyi visnyk NUBiP Ukrainy, Vyp. 55, (№ 274), c. 7 – 14.
- Filosofskyi slovnyk (Philosophical dictionary) (n. d.). Dostupno : <https://platona.net/board/filosofskij_slovar/svoboda/1-1-0-404>. [24 Berezen 2024].
- Filosofskyi entsyklopedychnyi slovnyk (Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary) (n. d.). Dostupno : <http://slovopedia.org.ua/104/53409/1085173.html>. [24 Berezen 2024].