St. Augustine

1. Augustine is the decisive figure in the history of the formultation of the main problems faced by Christian philosophers and of the outline of their solutions.

2. Augustine was significantly influenced by Plato & NeoPlatonism, but his philosophy is ultimately neither Platonist nor NeoPlatonist, since Christinan theology, he realized, is incompatible with the doctrines of the pre-existence of matter & soul and ultimately with the doctrine of emanations.

3. Biographical:
   • b. 354 C.E. in Numidia, North Africa, to a pagan father & Christian mother (Monica)
   • stages in his philosophical development:
     • his first philosophical interest came from reading a work, since lost, of Cicero's, which led him to believe that wisdom might be achievable.
     • Manichean phase
     • Skeptical phase (Carneadic Platonism)
   • Became professor of rhetoric in Milan, where he came under the influence of St. Ambrose
   • Baptized: Easter (387)
   • ordained (391)
   • named Bishop of Hippo (395)
   • published & wrote against heresies (381-390)

4. Philosophical elements in his thought:
   • goal of philosophy: to guide life
   • two things supremely worth knowing:
     • God
     • the soul
   • two ways of knowing:
     • authority of the Church
     • certainty of conscience
   • The subject matter of philosophy is derived from faith: "Believe in order that you may understand." [On the Gospel of John, 29.6; Sermon CXVII.I]
   • Reason can establish the need for belief
   • His refutation of skepticism: skepticism is internally inconsistent, since if I am deceived, I must exist, live, and understand.
   • Certainty of conscience can lead to conviction of truth & to wisdom (which is changeless, although minds & opinions change)

5. Relationship between the soul & God: tendency toward the via negative: that the certainty of the soul shows is that we have no knowledge of God except that God is " that greater than which nothing can be conceived"

6. What is man? A rational soul, having a body (one thing)

7. emphasis on the will:

   Powers of Self	"Products" of powers	Activities of Self	Cp. the Attributes of God
   memory intellect will	idea judgment will	being knowing willing	omnipotence omniscience absolute goodness

8. The problem of evil: an evil will is a deficient (not efficient) cause

9. Will both explains & is required by the concept of creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing)

10. The City of God: Augustine's Christian "politics" (this world & the next)

11. Augustine's legacy:
    • rason v. revelation
    • centrality of love (& love's paradox: the quest for happiness leads to self-renunciation (becoming what you are not)
    • complex relatinship between grace and good works
    • original sin
    • a religion of the heart: feeling
    • revised Platonic influence
    • critical study of psychology & non-verbal communication

revised December 10, 1996


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