Assess the view that Augustine's teaching on human nature is to pessimistic

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

-Augustine had unique and nuanced view on human nature indluenced by many different belief systems
-Mother was Christian, he subscribed briefly to Manichaeism and then to Christianity
-I think his views too pessimistic

Question 2

1st paragraph

Answer 2

-starting what he thought of human will pre fall
- starting point Genesis 1-3 where given accounts on creation of man/woman
-until fall humans enjoyed time of harmony seen in obedience of Adam/Eve to God and duty to living creatures
- also a time when human body, will and reason in complete cooperation
-will was god given created ex nihilo and can choose good or evil, believe in god or not so will determined us as a person
-note will is synonymous with love as force pulling us in various directions driven by both Cupiditas (self love) and caritas (generous love)
-both elements necessary for will in order for person to love neighbour must love himself which leads to love of god
-writes on friendship in commentary on Gesis arguing in paradise Adam/Eve were married as friends and equally/mutually participated in friendliness of god
-god commanded them to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ freindship between men and women includes reproduction and pleasure of sex but sex is second to friendship
-sex occur without lust Adam summon erection at will as will in harmony and control of body
-even after fall freindship still expresses caritas as amor dei (love of god) but in fallen world frindship complicated fraught with anguish
- wrote ‘nothing truly enjoyable without a friend’
-solution is real freindship (pre fall) only possible if love Christ first as love for neighbour then generous , forgiving non judgemental as removed from cupiditas

Question 3

Criticism of 1st para

Answer 3

-first sight seems not pessimistic but optimistic
-this maybe becasue he hopes heaven is similar and so beieves when in heaven we in harmonious state where body, mind and reason in cooperation
-however delve further we see implications as implying human nature in post fall state is fraaught with anguish and tue frindship only possibe if you love Christ first
-disagree witht his notion as hard to believe cannot develop true freindship without beleiving in christ many individual examples day to day where people are freinds and not religious also everyone before christ didnt have true friendship?
-augustine may respond saying they may think they have true freindship but is just a Fugazi as true freindship only available in Christ however dont find this convincing and too pessimistic

Question 4

2nd paragraph

Answer 4

-human will after fall
-keyu problem is what caused humans to reject perfect relationship with world and god and answer is pride
-interpreted decision to eat fruit as a sign of their desire to be like god (know good and evil) and have his powers
-becasue of pride they can never have harmonious relationship with god and each other becasue cupiditas now separated from caritas
-to asnwer question of how idea od disobeying god came to minds is Satan in serpent form
-note Satan’s idea of disobedience not casue of fall but provides stimulus for will to disobey god
-god may sense adam and eve would disobey but he stresses act of rebellion entirely result of free will ‘evil will precedes evil act’
- if evil will preceds evil act not body corrupt but will (resisted Manichaeism that materail evil)
-seen in will unable control bodily desires and natural desire food and sex no longer in harmony with will but dominate it
-Goes further to argue that soul/will divided and so although rational enough to know what is good damage done in fall meant despite willing good is weakened by desires so doe opposite
-this paradoxical state seen in St Paul ‘i do not what i want but the very thing i hate’ weakness of will called akrasia
- augustine comes to conclusion cannot put past relationships behind him to embrace celibacy
-he says in face of lady continence he was ‘listening to the futile mutterings of his lower self’ blames impossibility of humans to be truly good on Adam/Eve disobedience
-says concupiscence most painfully expereinced in friendships even though said nothing better than community of friends as equals even in closest freinds jealousy, betrayal etc conspire to cause pain
-friendship shows ambivalence to his tehology as he had women freinds wouodnt meet them alone
-for him signs of effect of fall seen everywhere like spontaneous erections, loss of rational control in sex presence of concupiscence illustrates lack of control rational soul has over sin
-impotence is sign that uncontrolled body mocks weak and divided will
-note he makes sin an ontological condition of humans

Question 5

Criticism to 2nd para

Answer 5

-augustine view of human nature in present state very pessimistic
- Plato and Aristotle took issue with Akrasia as argue when i lie in bed for another ten minutes when i should get up its not lack moral willpower just i choose preference of one thing over other or unconsciously reasoned that i need more sleep so it may seem i have weakened will im onyl doing what intented to do
-too pessimstic to argue human will and reason no control overy body if you reject dualism argument is redundant
-many times in life where one chooses the right thing or overcome desires i think problem of people giving into vices isnt spiritual or overarching reason but subjective to each individual as some have strong character others not doesn’t make sense those of less willpower are in severer state oif akrasia
-this implies fall affected us difrerently unliekly as due to teaching we fall all in the same way
-teaching too pessimistic