Freedom of Indifference

Ockham’s Concept of Freedom and the Moral System Derived Therefrom According to Servais Pinckaers

Abstract

The article strives to contribute to our grasp of Ockham’s concept of free will, notably from the perspective of the Belgian moral theologian Servais Pinckaers and his historical research in the field of Catholic morality. The first section of the article gives a brief insight into the historical context of Ockham’s moral–theological thought, while the remaining two sections which comprise the central part of the article, highlight the dismantling of the classic and the construction of a new moral system. Explained therein is the way in which Ockham’s voluntaristic concept of free will enables us to grasp moral obligation as the core and most crucial of moral issues, which determines the very essence of morality, and provides us with an understanding of moral reality in its entirety, that is, as a whole and also in its integral elements.