The Erasmus-Luther Discourse on Free Will begins with the Diatribe concerning free will, written by Erasmus. Luther then refutes Erasmus' Diatribe with The Bondage of the Will. The question being debated is whether man is in control of his own will, or whether everything is preordained by God, thus leaving man without free will. Their diverging philosophies have been interpreted as being the basic difference between Catholic and Protestant positions regarding free will. This debate …showed first 75 words of 1034 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1034 total…all!" While Erasmus seems leery to take a firm stance in his debate, he is changing the circumstances of the debate, which clearly is an attempt to prevent Luther from pinning him down in Luther's The Bondage of the Will. After thoroughly refuting everything Erasmus has stated, Luther proclaims that Erasmus has "asserted nothing but made comparisons" . Whether there be complete merit in either man's philosophy, Luther has quite convincingly made Erasmus' position appear flawed.