EDUARDO DE MORAES CARVALHO

The research addresses the historical, conceptual, and lexicographical problem of the invention of the philosophical notion of will in the works of Saint Augustine, focusing on the passage about the "divided will" in Book VIII of the Confessions. The study interprets this crucial moment, investigating how Augustine articulates the tension between desire and freedom while analyzing the reception of this idea by later commentators. Furthermore, it explores a related issue: the historiographical construction of the "invention of the will" as a philosophical theme. This approach examines the morphological variations in the treatment of this concept over time, relating them to shifts in the philosophical common sense across different historical contexts.