PHILOSOPHY & PSYCHOLOGY
PHILOSOPHY & PSYCHOLOGY
“The natural response would be that God obviously has freedom, for he is, as remarked by countless theologians, the greatest possible being, and necessary too.”
Is the Concept of Freedom Applicable to God? DAN RIDDLE
DAN RIDDLE
as realities which are applicable to God for we have no experience to match that of God’s, then one must consider whether God has freedom or not. The natural response would be that God obviously has freedom, for he is, as remarked by countless theologians, the greatest possible being, and necessary too. A being that is free is undoubtedly greater than one who lives in shackles, so it is reasonable to assume that God acts freely. The idea of God possessing free will is supported by his omnibenevolence. God is all love and loves all, so his actions are just and moral. For an action to be moral, it must be freely done. What this means is that for God to be moral and loving, he must have free will. What is more, when describing God’s actions, they must be viewed from a libertarian view, as God cannot be caused to do anything and therefore is the sole culprit for all his deeds.
If God exists beyond the confines of liberty or limitation, then his actions must be explained by something else. They cannot be spontaneous, otherwise that would imply free will. They cannot be caused, otherwise that would imply a lack of free will. This in turn would also suggest a lack in omnipotence. It appears that this endless search for a definition that suits God’s actions (and satisfies his transcendence) will be futile, as there will always be a non-metaphysical or anthropomorphic quality which would reduce the aspect of God to a mortal level. In defining God’s actions, we must use analogy based on our own understandings of the world around us, no matter how incomprehensibly meagre they seem in the face of God. Therefore, if one accepts that we can apply the concept of freedom (even if it is analogous), or in fact the lack of freedom
The concept of freedom, otherwise known as free will, has been the subject of much philosophical discourse as to whether humans are truly free in their actions and lives. While the answer to this question remains uncertain, it begets the question of whether God has free will, or if we can even apply the concept to a being beyond our confinements. While it would be easy to say that due to the grandeur and the transcendence of the Almighty that he transcends the subjects of freedom or enslavement, existing above them as a higher life form,
this is a rather dissatisfactory answer. In plastering over the typical response that “God is beyond all things”, we’re left with a much more strenuous question: If God doesn’t have free will, what does he have? The simplest answer to this question is that we don’t know, and we probably never will, as God is a metaphysical lifeform who is ultimately unknowable, leaving us once again with an incredibly unsatisfying response. The question remains unanswered, but while there is strength in the simplicity in its response, it fails to answer the question.
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