Augustinian Freedom: The Free Exercise of Moral Conscience and Freedom in the Face of Digital Mediation

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand the use of the concept of “Freedom in Augustine” to determine how it can contribute to the free exercise of moral conscience in light of the changes that digital mediation imposes on human freedom. Theological research needs to explore pathways that lead to a relationship between classical concepts and significant contextual issues to express its doctrinal potency. The guiding question of the research was: How does the concept of freedom in Augustine contribute to the free exercise of moral conscience in response to the changes that digital mediation imposes on human freedom? To address this issue, a Systematic Literature Review was conducted using scientific databases such as SCOPUS, JSTOR, and EBSCO. Based on two search equations “libertad agustiniana” [augustinian freedom] and “moral digital” [digital morality] digital and printed documents published between 1961 and 2023 were selected. Finally, digital bibliometric tools were employed for analysis.

KEY WORDS: Augustinian freedom. moral conscience. digital mediation. digital morality. human freedom.