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So this is an interesting topic with lots to talk about. I haven't given it before,

so I think there's a lot of material. I might go through some of it quickly to make sure

I get important stuff in.

But there are kind of two sections.

One is sort of what's the contemporary general landscape,

and then the second is what does St. Thomas Aquinas kind of say about it.

So the first in the general landscape is there are three views that are out there, generally

speaking. Determinalism, compatibilism, and libertarianism. The last sometimes called the

agency view as well. So you define these views. Determinism says we are determined and we are not free. So all

these you're answering two questions. Are we determined and are we free? So determinism says yes, we are

determined and we're not free. Compatibilism says we are determined and we are free. So the first says we're determined but not free.

Compatibilism says we are determined but also free. Libertarianism says that at least in some actions we are not determined and in those actions we are free.

So we're going to look at each of these in a little bit more detail.

So again, what is determinism?

Well, it says in all of our actions, we are determined, right?

Just as rocks are determined in their behavior, billiard balls

on a billiard table are determined in their behavior, so too are human beings determined.

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