Information Package / Course Catalogue
God's Foreknowledge and Free Will
Course Code: FDB506
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: Second Cycle (Master's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

The purpose of this course is to help students understand the philosophical and theological relationships between God's foreknowledge and human free will, and to encourage them to examine diverse approaches such as determinism, compatibilism, incompatibilism, Molinism, and open theism. The course aims to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to make analytical evaluations between seemingly contradictory views.

Course Content

The course examines the question of free will and God's foreknowledge within a historical and philosophical context. The tension between human free will and God's absolute knowledge is discussed, and determinism and indeterminism are examined. Compatibilism, incompatibilism, determinist critiques, and naturalism and reductionist approaches are also considered. Open theism, Molinism, and divine freedom are analyzed in detail. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically evaluate the debates between free will and God's knowledge.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Students will be able to correctly analyze philosophical arguments by distinguishing the fundamental concepts of free will debates (determinism, compatibilism, incompatibilism, libertarian freedom).
2.They will be able to explain classical and contemporary approaches (Aquinas, Ockham, Molina, Open Theism, etc.) to the relationship between God's absolute knowledge, knowledge of the future, and human freedom at a conceptual level.
3.They will be able to justify the criticisms directed at these views by presenting the basic claims of determinist, naturalist and reductionist anti-free will approaches.
4.By comparing the efforts of Molinist, Open Theist and classical theist models to solve the problem of free will and divine knowledge, they will be able to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each model.
5.They will be able to demonstrate philosophical problem-solving competence by explaining the concepts of human freedom and divine freedom from a systematic perspective in the context of the problem of free will.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views, James K. Beilby; Paul Rhodes Eddy; Gregory A. Boyd; David Hunt; William Lane Craig; Paul Helm, Jasper Hopkins, Augustine on foreknowledge and free will, Linda Zagzebski, Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will, Timelessness, Dennis Danielson, Foreknowledge, and Free Will.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
God, Free Will, and Philosophical Foundations
Week 2 - Theoretical
History and Definition of the Problem of Free Will
Week 3 - Theoretical
The Problem of Free Will: Fundamental Issues and Debates
Week 4 - Theoretical
Free Will and Compatibilism
Week 5 - Theoretical
Free Will and Incompatibilism
Week 6 - Theoretical
Free Will, Naturalism, and Reductionism
Week 7 - Theoretical
The Relationship Between God's Absolute Knowledge and Free Will
Week 8 - Theoretical
God's Knowledge, Free Will, and Determinism
Week 9 - Theoretical
Criticisms of the Determinist View
Week 10 - Theoretical
God's Knowledge of the Future and Libertarian Free Will
Week 11 - Theoretical
Criticisms of Open Theism
Week 12 - Theoretical
Molinist Views and Criticisms
Week 13 - Theoretical
Divine Freedom and Human Responsibility
Week 14 - Theoretical
General Evaluation and Discussion: Comparison of Different Views
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Seminar1%30
Midterm Examination1%30
Final Examination1%40
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory144056
Assignment118018
Midterm Examination124024
Final Examination124024
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)122
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
OÇ-1
4
3
4
4
5
4
OÇ-2
4
3
4
4
5
4
OÇ-3
4
3
4
4
5
4
OÇ-4
4
3
4
4
5
4
OÇ-5
4
3
4
4
5
4
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026