"Throughout history, philosophers have frequently turned to theories of the will in order to characterize and clarify human action. The notion of the will has been central to many accounts of the human self and the relationship of human beings to nature. However, there is no clear consensus about what the will actually involves." "This collection of nine specially commissioned papers trace the formulation and treatment of the problem of the will from ancient philosophy through the scholastic theologians of the Middle Ages, to modern philosophy and right up to contemporary theories. Philosophers discussed include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Hobbes, Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche."--Jacket.