EDWARDS,JONATHAN AND DETERMINISM

This paper argues a new interpretation of Jonathan Edwards's psycholog ical account of human action. In Freedom of the Will (1754), Edwards a dapted a sophisticated version of Newtonian determinism to the underst anding of human thinking and action. Rejecting a mechanistic determini sm, in which antecedent faculties ''cause'' actions, Edwards instead a dvocated a systemic view. Thus, rather than the ''greatest apparent go od'' causing the ''will,'' which in turn caused an action, Edwards cla imed that ''The will is as the greatest apparent good,'' thus groundin g a systemic and dynamic account. Misunderstanding of his view has led to much confusion and a failure to properly locate Edwards within the history of American thought. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.