The freedom of will problem is one of the great philosophical controversies. This particularly applies whenever ideological or religious assumptions guide the discussion. Following the concept of the series "Orient and Occident", this volume focusses on the presentation of the ancient heritage (Aristotle, Cicero, Epictetus) and its methodical as well as conceptual discussion, critical integration and transformation through Syriac-Christian and Arab Islamic thinkers of the Middle Ages. Contributions to the introduction to the question of freedom of the will, to the anti-Christian perspectivation of the freedom of human will in Nietzsche and to the embedding of the theme in the context of an ancient as well as contemporary philosophy taken as ars vitae complete the volume.