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Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge

Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996, softbound, 224 pages, 2 line drawings.

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This original analysis examines the three leading traditional solutions to the dilemma of divine foreknowledge and human free will--those arising from Boethius, from Ockham, and from Molina. Though all three solutions are rejected in their best-known forms, three new solutions are proposed, and Zagzebski concludes that divine foreknowledge is compatible with human freedom. The discussion includes the relation between the foreknowledge dilemma and problems about the nature of time and the causal relation; the logic of counterfactual conditionals; and the differences between divine and human knowing states. An appendix introduces a new foreknowledge dilemma that purports to show that omniscient foreknowledge conflicts with deep intuitions about temporal asymmetry, quite apart from considerations of free will. Zagzebski shows that only a narrow range of solutions can handle this new dilemma. A compelling contribution to the field, The Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge will appeal to students and scholars of theistic philosophy and the philosophy of religion.

Review Excerpts:

"Informed, clear, and highly illuminating discussion."--Philosophical Review

"The most balanced, thorough, and compelling treatment of the issues to date....This is an important study and will be a standard reference for years to come."--Choice - Named an Outstanding Academic Book for 1991-1992 by Choice

"A competent, technically detailed, and unpolemical exposition of contemporary currents of thought on this perenially engaging topic....Rewards the reader with frequent bursts of incisive commentary."--The Thomist

"A reliable, often insightful, introduction to these debates."--Times Literary Supplement

"Zagzebski is a rigorous, careful thinker. She has produced a truly stimulating book. It deserves close attention and will amply repay it."--Ethics

"I know of no other book that so clearly sets forth the full range of traditional and contemporary perspectives on the foreknowledge dilemma. It will therefore prove to be of great value to the philosophical community."--Review of Metaphysics

"As will be apparent, the sensitive eliciting and application of various intuitions plays an important role in Zagzebski's book. I believe this is a real strength of the work....This is a remarkably inventive book, and in addition a genuine pleasure to read. It should be enjoyed by all philosophers who are even mildly interested in the dilemma of freedom and foreknowledge.:Philosophy of Religion

Title: Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge

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