# Best philosophical treatment of free will



## CatechumenPatrick (Aug 8, 2007)

Hello all, I have been searching the forums for some resources on the best books from a Reformed worldview on determinism and free will. I am looking for advanced philosophical works, like Edwards' Freedom of the Will. Can anyone recommend the best books or even scholarly articles arguing for or defending the Reformed view on free will, determinism, compatibilism, and the like, in a primarily philosophical way? 
(PS: Anyone know of a good Reformed response to Plantinga's Free Will defense to the problem of evil, either online or published? I appreciate all of your help, thanks!)


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## Theogenes (Aug 8, 2007)

Patrick,
I recommend you read Gordon Clark's books "Predestination" and "God and Evil". Check them out at the Trinity Foundation web site:
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/

Jim


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## Civbert (Aug 8, 2007)

Jim Snyder said:


> Patrick,
> I recommend you read Gordon Clark's books "Predestination" and "God and Evil". Check them out at the Trinity Foundation web site:
> http://www.trinityfoundation.org/
> 
> Jim


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## Cheshire Cat (Aug 9, 2007)

Well, things get complicated really fast but you may want to checkout http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Handbo...9502066?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186676385&sr=1-1 for a good starter read. Its a big subject.


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## CatechumenPatrick (Aug 9, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. I have read Clark's "God and Evil"--three times now, and have found it extremely helpful. Actually, that book by Clark, along with Edwards', formed the backbone of my own response to the problem of evil and the free will defense in a paper I wrote last winter.
I haven't read Clark's "Predestination" yet (Pink's "Sovereignty of God" is higher on my list at the moment) but I am considering ordering it from my school library pretty soon.
Caleb, the two books you linked to look great. Fischer's book looks particularly informative, though I have not heard of him before. Is he Reformed or at all Christian? The Oxford Handbook looks decent, but I wonder how balanced it is and if I would be better off sticking with primary texts...


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Aug 9, 2007)

I don't think you will find anything better than Turretin, Calvin and Edwards. If you can digest them, you will have the best foundation you could muster up.


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## Semper Fidelis (Aug 9, 2007)

Frame's _The Doctrine of God_ is actually pretty good in this regard. He takes on libertine free will and open theism among other things. It's a handy little reference.


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## G.Wetmore (Aug 9, 2007)

I think that you would do well to listen to Dr. Bahnsen's argument in Philosophy of Christianity both in his lectures on free will and those in his lectures on the problem of evil. They are the best that I know of and are very philosophical. You can find both in mp3 format (among others) at http://www.cmfnow.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=550


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## Cheshire Cat (Aug 10, 2007)

Well you have compatibilist and libertarian types of free will. Believing in predestination and the like, we are a kind of compatibilists. The oxford book (although I haven't read it) most likely represents both sides well. Thing about it is, you will have a lot of atheists who are compatibilist. I don't know if Fischer is a Christian or not. Here is a good read by Paul Manata on Contemporary Compatibilism: http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2007/04/contemporary-compatibilism.html


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## CatechumenPatrick (Aug 10, 2007)

Thanks for all the advice. I forgot how much great material Bahnsen has, both in written form and available online. When it comes to Reformed philosophy, there is no better place to start in my opinion


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## Dieter Schneider (Aug 10, 2007)

I would have thought that Luther is superb, check links here


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## JBaldwin (Aug 10, 2007)

One of my favorite books that deals with this doctrine is Loraine Boettner's book _Predestination_. THere is a good section in that book on free will.


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## Cheshire Cat (Aug 11, 2007)

Also checkout Ch: 3 of this thread: http://www.puritanboard.com/showthread.php?t=19573


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