The Enduring Conundrum: The Problem of Sin and Will

The human condition is perpetually entangled in a profound philosophical and theological knot: the problem of sin and will. This complex dilemma probes the very core of our moral agency, questioning why beings endowed with the capacity for rational thought and free will so often choose paths leading to evil rather than good. From the earliest philosophical inquiries to the most intricate theological doctrines, thinkers have grappled with this paradox: if we are truly free, why do we sin? If a benevolent power guides existence, why is evil a pervasive reality? This pillar page delves into the historical and conceptual frameworks that illuminate this enduring problem, drawing heavily from the monumental insights preserved within the Great Books of the Western World.

Unpacking the Core Concepts: Will, Sin, Good, and Evil

Before navigating the intricate philosophical landscape, it is crucial to establish a working understanding of the key terms at play. These concepts, though seemingly straightforward, possess layers of meaning that have been debated for millennia.

What is "Will"?

The will is generally understood as the faculty of the mind that chooses, desires, and initiates action. It is the power by which we decide what to do or not to do. In philosophy, its freedom—or lack thereof—is a central concern.

Free Will: The capacity of agents to make choices that are not determined by prior events.
Determinism: The view that all events, including human actions, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will.
Voluntarism: A philosophical theory that emphasizes the will as primary over the intellect or reason.

What is "Sin"?

While often associated with religious transgression, sin in a broader philosophical sense refers to an act or omission that deviates from a moral or divine law, or from what is considered good. It is a failure to live up to an ethical standard.

Moral Sin: A deliberate violation of a moral principle.
Original Sin: A theological concept (prominently in Christianity) asserting humanity's fallen state inherited from the first transgression.
Ignorance vs. Malice: Is sin a result of not knowing the good, or deliberately choosing evil despite knowing the good?

Defining "Good" and "Evil"

The distinction between good and evil forms the bedrock of all moral philosophy.

Good: That which is morally right, beneficial, virtuous, or desirable. Often associated with flourishing, happiness, or divine command.
Evil: That which is morally wrong, harmful, vicious, or undesirable. Often understood as the absence or privation of good, or as an active malevolent force.

The problem arises precisely from the tension between our perceived capacity for free will and our undeniable propensity for sin, leading to evil, rather than consistently pursuing the good.

Ancient Echoes: The Seeds of the Problem in Greek Thought

The intellectual lineage of the problem of sin and will can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, albeit without the explicit theological framework of "sin" as later developed. Their focus was on virtue, knowledge, and the pursuit of the good.

Socrates and Plato: Ignorance is Evil

In the Dialogues of Plato, particularly those featuring Socrates, a radical idea emerges: no one does evil willingly. Socrates famously argued that all wrongdoing stems from ignorance. If one truly knew what was good, one would inevitably pursue it. Evil is therefore a defect of knowledge, not of will.

Socratic Paradox: "Virtue is knowledge."
Implication: If sin is doing evil, and evil is ignorance, then sin is a result of not knowing the good. This challenges the notion of a freely choosing will that deliberately opts for evil.

Plato, building on this, posited the Form of the Good as the ultimate reality, illuminating all lesser goods. The soul's struggle is to ascend to this knowledge, with reason guiding the spirited and appetitive parts. A failure to do so, a disharmony of the soul, could be seen as a form of moral failing, akin to sin.

Aristotle: The Role of Choice and Habit

Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, offers a more nuanced view, introducing the concept of prohairesis, or deliberate choice. He acknowledges that individuals can indeed choose evil, even when they know what is good. This introduces the idea of weakness of will, or akrasia.

Voluntary Actions: Actions performed with knowledge and choice.
Involuntary Actions: Actions performed under compulsion or ignorance.
Habituation: Moral virtues and vices are developed through repeated choices. A person can habituate themselves to evil through repeated bad choices, making it harder to choose the good.

Aristotle's framework begins to lay the groundwork for understanding how the will can be implicated in choosing evil, even if it still emphasizes the role of reason in guiding choice.

The Augustinian Revolution: Sin, Will, and the Fall

The most profound and enduring philosophical-theological framework for the problem of sin and will comes from St. Augustine of Hippo, whose writings in the Great Books — particularly Confessions and City of God — shaped Western thought for centuries.

Augustine grappled intensely with the question of how an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God could create a world where evil and sin exist. His solution centered on the radical freedom of the will.

The Nature of Evil as Privation

Augustine famously argued that evil is not a substance or a positive force, but rather a privation of good (privatio boni). Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence or corruption of the good. God, as the supreme Good, could not create evil.

Free Will and the Origin of Sin

For Augustine, the will was created free, capable of choosing between God (the ultimate Good) and lesser goods. Sin entered the world through the abuse of this free will. Adam and Eve, in their perfect state, freely chose to turn away from God, not out of necessity, but out of a defective will.

(Image: A detailed classical oil painting depicting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, just after eating the forbidden fruit. Eve holds the apple, looking contemplative or remorseful, while Adam stands beside her, his expression a mix of regret and dawning realization. A serpent is coiled around the tree in the background, subtly receding, symbolizing the immediate consequence of their choice.)

This original sin corrupted human nature, weakening the will and inclining it towards evil. Thus, while humans retain free will in the sense of being able to choose, their will is now enslaved to sin without divine grace. This explains the human propensity to choose evil despite knowing the good.

Augustine's Key Contributions:

Concept	Description	Implications for Sin and Will
Free Will	God-given capacity to choose, essential for love and moral responsibility.	Source of sin; humans are responsible for their choices, even if fallen.
Original Sin	Inherited corruption of human nature resulting from Adam's first transgression.	Explains universal human inclination towards evil and the difficulty of choosing good.
Evil as Privation	Evil is not a substance but the absence or corruption of good.	God is not the author of evil; evil arises from the misuse of created good (free will).
Grace	Divine assistance necessary to overcome the effects of original sin and truly choose the good.	Highlights human dependence on God for salvation and moral rectitude, not just self-effort.

Aquinas and Scholasticism: Synthesizing Reason and Faith

Thomas Aquinas, in his monumental Summa Theologica, built upon Augustine's foundations, integrating Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology. He further refined the understanding of the will and its relationship to intellect, sin, and good and evil.

Aquinas posited that the intellect presents the good to the will, and the will then moves towards it. The ultimate object of the will is the good itself. However, sin occurs when the intellect presents a particular good as if it were the ultimate good, or when the will chooses a lesser good over a greater one.

Intellect and Will: The intellect apprehends the good, and the will desires and moves towards it. They are interdependent.
Ignorance and Choice: Aquinas acknowledged that sin can arise from ignorance (as Socrates suggested), but also from a deliberate choice of a perceived lesser good over the true good, or from malice.
The Problem of Evil: While God permits evil for the sake of a greater good (e.g., the freedom of creation), He is not its cause. Sin is a defect in the creature's action, not in God's creation.

For Aquinas, the will is naturally inclined towards the good, but it can be misled by the intellect's faulty judgment or overcome by passions. Grace is still essential to fully restore the will's proper ordering towards the ultimate Good.

The Modern Dilemma: Freedom, Responsibility, and the Absence of God

As philosophy moved into the modern era, the problem of sin and will transformed. With the rise of secular thought, the theological framework of sin often gave way to concepts of moral wrongdoing, ethical failure, and psychological dysfunction. However, the core tension between freedom and responsibility remained.

Existentialism: Radical Freedom and Burdened Will

Philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre emphasized radical freedom. For Sartre, "man is condemned to be free." There is no predetermined nature or divine command; individuals are entirely responsible for creating their own values and meaning through their choices.

No Sin, Only Bad Faith: In an existentialist framework, sin in a traditional sense is replaced by "bad faith"—denying one's freedom and responsibility by blaming external forces or conforming to societal norms.
Anguish of Choice: The weight of absolute freedom, where every choice defines one's essence, creates profound anguish. The will is unburdened by original sin but burdened by absolute self-creation.

Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil

Friedrich Nietzsche famously challenged traditional morality, arguing for a "revaluation of all values." He saw Christian morality, with its emphasis on sin and humility, as a "slave morality" that stifled human potential.

Will to Power: Nietzsche proposed the "will to power" as the fundamental driving force in humans, a will to overcome, grow, and assert oneself.
Moral Relativism: He questioned the objective existence of good and evil, suggesting they are human constructs, often used by the weak to control the strong.

Nietzsche's work dismantles the traditional framework of sin by questioning the very foundations of good and evil as objective realities, shifting the problem from how we choose evil to who defines evil in the first place.

The Enduring Problem: Why Do We Choose Evil?

The journey through the Great Books reveals that the problem of sin and will is multifaceted and resists easy answers. Whether viewed through a theological lens of divine law and fallen nature, or a secular lens of moral psychology and existential choice, the central question persists: Why do rational beings, capable of discerning the good, so frequently succumb to choices that lead to harm, suffering, and what we universally recognize as evil?

Perhaps the answer lies not in a single cause, but in a confluence of factors:

Weakness of Will (Akrasia): Knowing the good but failing to act on it due to passion, temptation, or lack of self-control.
Ignorance or Error of Judgment: Mistaking a lesser good for the ultimate good, or failing to understand the full consequences of an action.
Malice or Perversion of Will: A deliberate turning away from the good, a choice for evil for its own sake (though this is fiercely debated, with many philosophers arguing that even seemingly malicious acts are pursued under some guise of good for the actor).
Social and Environmental Factors: External pressures, upbringing, and societal structures that influence choices and moral development.

The problem of sin and will remains an active frontier of philosophical and ethical inquiry. It forces us to confront the depths of human nature, the limits of our freedom, and the persistent struggle between our aspirations for the good and our undeniable capacity for evil.

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💡 Want different videos? Search YouTube for: ""Augustine on Free Will and Evil" for a concise overview of Augustine's core arguments."**

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