Augustine on Human Nature Flashcards
Who were the Manichees?
A group Augustine was with in early life, they believed:
People have two different souls, one good, one evil, in constant conflict
Looked to role models, mainly Jesus, for guidance
Who was Plotinus?
A Neoplatonist philosopher who Augustine learned from in later life, he believed:
There is only the Form of the Good
Evil is not a substance, but a turning away from goodness
He concluded that the Manichees were wrong
With the help of St Ambrose, what did Augustine conclude about humans?
Humans cannot find truth through reason alone
Need the grace of god
Need to turn away from bodily pleasure in order to concentrate on spiritual life
What did St Augustine come to believe about sexuality?
Despite being promiscuous in his student life, he eventually concluded that it was a barrier to spirituality
Why did St Augustine’s views on sexual promiscuity change so durastically?
He was told after he became a bishop that he had to leave his mistress of 12 years, whom he had a child with, and marry an arranged (much younger) girl
He did not want to do this and instead vowed that sexual promiscuity was wrong, and taught how others should be restricted from it
What did Augustine believe of human nature before The Fall?
Pre-lapsarian: Lived in a state of “Concordia” - harmony with all living creatures
Made with free will, exactly as god wanted
“be fruitful and multiply” - be sexual, but not lustful
Happily nude = “state of perfection”
What did Augustine believe of human nature after The Fall?
Post-lapsarian: Evil is here entirely because of the misuse of human free will
We are all biologically tainted with sin through association to Adam and Eve
Nothing we can do to be free from sin on our own, we need God’s grace to save us
What is Cupiditas?
Love of impermanent, changeable earthly things
Love of self and selfish needs
People who choose this are ignorant because they have subjected themselves to laws of the world which are the human laws of social life
What is Caritas?
Latin equivalent of Greek word “Agape”
Generous love of others
Dispatched through virtues (prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice)
Leads to spiritual happiness
What did Augustine believe about Original sin?
Adam and Eve chose cupiditas love, and all future generations have inherited original sin
So we now live in a state of ignorance
Can only be rescued through God’s grace
If people could achieve salvation on their own then Jesus died for nothing
Original sin divided human nature, into choosing to do right or wrong, humans are sinful and bad and so are more likely to choose the bad, selfish option
How did Augustine prove humans are inherently bad?
He tells the story of when he stole a pear simply for the pleasure of stealing when he was a child in his book “Confessions”
Children are natural in their decision making, as they have not yet had life experiences to change how they behave in any way
What did Augustine believe about Lust?
He believed we are all at the mercy of “concupiscence” (sexual desire, lusts for material things)
He encouraged married couples with enough children to take a vow of celibacy
He never allowed women in his house, not even his sister
What did Augustine believe about Women?
He did not see them as lesser or evil, as all were created equal in God’s image
But he did believe that they should serve men, as it was their job to do so, as punishment for eve “your desire will be for your Husband, and he will rule over you.”
Strengths of Augustine’s arguments
Augustine is realistic (to a certain extent) about human temptation, using his own experiences and weaknesses to explain the issue
Recognition of human imperfection leads to moral progress
Hobbes agrees that humans by nature are selfish and only work together for their own interests
Weaknesses of Augustine’s arguments
Whole argument is based on Genesis, which many Christians believe is not historically accurate
Difficult to reconcile these ideas with an all loving God
It’s not fair that all of humanity suffers because of Adam and Eve’s mistake
Is there any point trying to be good? If God elects who gets salvation, we could live a perfect life and still not be picked
