Boethius was a Roman Philosopher who was also a Christian. He proposed a solution to this question "If God already knows what we are going to do in the future, how can we be said to have free will?"
His thinking went thusly
God lives in the eternal present
God KNOWS the future as if it were the present
God knows what decisions we will make
God foresees our free thoughts and our actions.
God is outside of our time as we know (past, present, future). God lives in the eternal present. Just because God knows what we are going to do, doesn't mean that he interferes with our decisions. Our decisions are our own, God just knows what those decisions are going to be.
God lives in the eternal present
God KNOWS the future as if it were the present
God knows what decisions we will make
God foresees our free thoughts and our actions.
God is outside of our time as we know (past, present, future). God lives in the eternal present. Just because God knows what we are going to do, doesn't mean that he interferes with our decisions. Our decisions are our own, God just knows what those decisions are going to be.
Boethius lived when the Roman Empire was in it's decline, he was orphaned at age 7 and raised in a Aristocrat Roman household. He was well educated, speaking fluent Greek and had a thorough understanding of Greek and Latin literature. He wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy" while he was in prison awaiting execution for treason (a wrongful accusation).
A good part of Boethius' life was spent in translating Aristotle's logical works into Latin, and then writing commentaries on them as well as logical textbooks, He used his logical training to contribute to the theological discussions of the time.
In his book Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius argued that there was a higher power and that all suffering had a purpose. He argued that true happiness can not be found in wealth and power but by turning to other virtues.
He also wrote books on math and music, introducing the concept of the threefold classification of Music.
For more information on Boethius Check out these resources
Stanford. UK Philosophers. The Basics. Anglican. Grade-saver.
A good part of Boethius' life was spent in translating Aristotle's logical works into Latin, and then writing commentaries on them as well as logical textbooks, He used his logical training to contribute to the theological discussions of the time.
In his book Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius argued that there was a higher power and that all suffering had a purpose. He argued that true happiness can not be found in wealth and power but by turning to other virtues.
He also wrote books on math and music, introducing the concept of the threefold classification of Music.
For more information on Boethius Check out these resources
Stanford. UK Philosophers. The Basics. Anglican. Grade-saver.
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