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Jonathan Edwards and determinism
Author(s) -
Tweney Ryan D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6696(199723)33:4<365::aid-jhbs2>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - determinism , action (physics) , confusion , epistemology , interpretation (philosophy) , antecedent (behavioral psychology) , philosophy , free will , psychology , sociology , psychoanalysis , social psychology , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics
This paper argues a new interpretation of Jonathan Edwards's psychological account of human action. In Freedom of the Will (1754), Edwards adapted a sophisticated version of Newtonian determinism to the understanding of human thinking and action. Rejecting a mechanistic determinism, in which antecedent faculties “cause” actions, Edwards instead advocated a systemic view. Thus, rather than the “greatest apparent good” causing the “will,” which in turn caused an action, Edwards claimed that “The will is as the greatest apparent good,” thus grounding a systemic and dynamic account. Misunderstanding of his view has led to much confusion and a failure to properly locate Edwards within the history of American thought. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.