Liberty and determinism

the approach of Christian Wolff

Dieter Hüning

pp. 119-126

in: Marina F. Bykova (ed), Russia and the West: Bridging the philosophical traditions, Studies in East European Thought 68, 2016.

Abstract

The essay is a discussion of Christian Wolff's attempt to justify morality on rational grounds and provide an adequate response to the free will controversy, securing freedom against determinism. It is shown that Wolff failed to deliver a satisfactory solution to this issue. His position known as a "half-determinism" does not provide a philosophical truce between freedom and determinism. Instead, it leads to a series of mistakes and philosophical implications that indicate an unresolved philosophical problem.

Cited authors

Wolff Christian