Augustien And Human Nature Flashcards
What are the two differences in human potential
- we have the potential to do evil, for example Andre’s brevik who committed mass murders bomb in van and shooting and his justification was to cleanse Europe of non Europeans such as Islam and multiculturalism
- on the other hand, 3 people escaped from aushcwitz and 10 men were sentenced to starving to death as a deterrent, one person pleaded they had a family, maximillian Kobe took their spot out of unselfishness
What does rousseau argue about human potential
- humans are born good and will act good unless the situation makes them act otherwise
“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains” - chains reflect competition for land and resources, human life’s purpose is too cut free from these chains and be co operative and appreciative
What was Thomas Hobbes view on human nature
- human natures are not co operative by nature rather are selfish and brutish
- purpose of life is to overcome the brutish side of human nature
Where did Augustine study in his early years and what were his opinions on his classmates
Augustien studied at Carthage at aged 16 and switched from law to rhetoric
- he described his class mates as a hissing cauldron lust and they constantly disrupted class and were rowdy
- wreckers was the name of the fashionable student gangs, never joined but was tight with some man
What two important things happened during augs time at Carthage
- first time he read ciceros hortensisus and became inclined to pursue wisdom, also believed the bible was full of contradictions and could not answer questions raised by ciciero
- Came into contact with a group of esoteric group of Christian’s names the Manichaeans. They offered him answers to all his questions -> Manichaeans bekeuevd they only knew the truth and hated catholics
What part of phikoshy did Augustine become interested in and what did the Manichaeans offer
- by reading cicero, Augustine became very interested in the problem of evil and suffering, he wanted to know the cause and what we can do about it
- the Manichaeans provided a rational answer, they argeud suffering was not caused by god but a lower evil power
What did Manichaeans argue about the probelm of evil
Not caused by god but lower evil powers
- the world is a battle between forces of light and darkenss
- the higher human soul is a particle of light which is trapped in the material body
- the human task is to liberate the higher soul so it can return to greater light
- the lower human soukd craves material world
- release can be done through abstinence from material thing and prayer
What was Augustine doing during this time
He had a mistress and a child named adeodatus
What happened at Augustine at aged 19
- he was offered a teaching job at Carthage to teach rhetoric but rather took up a teaching job in Rome due to the badly behaved students
- not long after due to having friends in high places he was offered the job as an orator at the imperial court in Milan
What happened to augs philosophical views after moving to Milan
- he became dissatisfied with Manichaeism to give explanations of the universe based on newly foudn mathematical and astronomical observations. He came to conclusion that it is not better than superstition. This was confirmed after he met Faustus, a Manichaeans bishop who was a kind but intellectually weak man
- during this time he started to become involved with platonists
What was the platonists view on the soul and evil
- some human minds are able to contemplate the one due to being able to ascend up different levels of reality. The soul and body ought to work in harmony but this is not true because the soul cannot control the body in the material world
- this is the cause of evil and suffering
- truth and wisdom cns be achieved when the soul has separated itself from all material influences and merged with the one
What was the teholgicka views of platonists based on
Combined the views of Plato and some passages from the New Testament
What did platonism argue about evil
It is the absence of good
Why did Augustine convert to Christianity (what happened before)
Augustien still struggled with emotions and wasn’t happy, he then arranged a meeting duty Ambrose the Catholic bishop of Milan.
- Ambrose taught Augustien how to interpret the Old Testament at a symbolic level and this cleared up many of his issues he had with Christianity such as conflicting passages
What happened which actually caused his conversion (confessions)
Day out with his boy alypius in the Garden and was in a state of turmoil, ripping his hair out and pounding his forehead, he ran from alypius and sat under a fig tree where he heard a voice telllign him to take it and read it
- read St Paul’s letters and it said “put on the lord Jesus Christ”
- this led him to come to the conclusion, wisdom is not provided by intellect alone, gods grace is necessary
