Freedom, Inclinations of the Win, and Virtue in Anselm's Moral Theory

Freedom, justice, and inclinations of the will have significant roles in St. Anselm's moral theory, as does, I argue, virtues and vices, which can be understood in relation to freedom and justice and as inclinations of the will. The first section of the paper discusses the relationship between freedom, justice, and the will in Anselm's works. The second part explores Anselm's distinctions between different aspects of the human will, as will-as-instrument, will-as-use, and will-as-inclination, then examines his further distinction of the latter into the will-for-justice and will-for-benefit. The third part then argues that the will-as-inclination-for-justice takes determinate forms as virtues, which may be understood as ways of properly using and preserving human freedom.