Addiction and the Captive Will: A Colloquy between Neuroscience and Augustine of Hippo (T&T Clark Enquiries in Theological Ethics)

By: Professor Cynthia Geppert

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into UK education collection to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Twenty-first century neuroscience has discovered that in some severe cases, addiction may so constrain human freedom that the will is only able to choose to use substances of abuse. At this advanced stage, substance use has become the primary driver of salience, co-optingand subsuming other moral priorities and human rewards. Scholars have investigated Aristotle's concept of akrasia as an ancient mirror of this understanding and there have been some preliminary discussions of Augustine's concept of the divided will as it bears on addiction. No detailed and comprehensive exploration of the work of Augustine has yet been undertaken as it relates to three contemporary models of addiction: the choice, learning, and brain disease models. Augustine's psychological awareness, his mastery of ancient theological and philosophical thinking, and his enormous and enduring influence on both Catholic and Protestant theology, make him an ideal subject for such research. This incisive book argues that Augustine's doctrine of the captive will offers a theological parallel of each of these contemporary models of addiction.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:: 9780567713551
Related ISBNs:: 9780567713520
Publisher:: Bloomsbury Publishing
Date of Addition:: 05/29/24
Copyrighted By:: Cynthia M. A. Geppert
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.