The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (of 11)

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"The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (of 11)" by Hobbes is a collection of philosophical writings written in the mid-19th century. This volume focuses on the classic debate over free will, determinism, and chance, centering on Hobbes’s exchange with Bishop John Bramhall. It contrasts Hobbes’s thoroughgoing necessity—grounded in divine will, causation, and foreknowledge—with Bramhall’s defense of a genuinely free human will, drawing on Scripture, scholastic theology, and practical reasoning. Readers can expect a sharp, source-rich controversy about moral responsibility, divine justice, and human action. The opening of the volume sets the stage with Hobbes’s brief address to the reader and a clear statement of the dispute: both sides agree people are free to do what they will, but they split on whether one can be free to will what one wills.