An Aristocratic Compatibilist's Providence

Book excerpt: This monograph discusses different philosophical and theological components of Aquinas’s view regarding the relation between human agency and divine providence. Against many contemporary scholars it argues that this view includes a plausible form of strong compatibilism whose philosophical premises are largely independent of Aquinas’s theological positions. Its original contributions to the understanding of Aquinas’s thought include an extensive analysis of Aquinas’s complex conception of modalities, his multileveled understanding of freedom, and his aristocratic perception of values.