Augustines Teachings On Human Nature Flashcards
Cupiditas
Selfish love, lust
Cavitas
Generous love
Pre and post lapsarian
Before and after the fall
Concupiscence
Humanity’s inclination to sun and to be influenced by lust, desires and selfishness
Concordia
The easy, comfortable relationship of friends
Grace
God’s free undeserved love for humanity, shown by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
The fall
Adam and Eve chose to disobey God (Genesis 3) by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
Original sin
Human nature is corrupt and everyone has a tendency to sin; it is inherited (all were seminally present in adam)
Sin
Disobeying the will and commands of God
Will
Part of human nature, determines choice
Akrasia
Weakness of the will
Summum bonum
Highest good
Humanitarian principle
Taking into account the interests of others - this doesn’t require Gods grace (S Pinker)
Pre-destination
The idea that God chooses and guides some people to eternal salvation
Pre lapsarian
Before the fall
Post lapsarian
After the fall
Pre lapsarian life
Adam and Eve enjoyed harmony in relationship with God
Cupiditas and Caritas were in harmony
Augustine valued Concordia
Leaders in pre lapsarian
Shepherds or guides
What happens at the fall
The first sin of Adam and Eve
The fall turns the God Given order seen in Eden and Cupiditas separates from Caritas
What happens to will and love
Cupiditas takes control
The will is Romans 7 ‘half wounded and divided’
Post lapsarian human nature
Becomes tainted and corrupt, known as original sin
Power, money cravings
How is original sin continuing
Passed on via sex, every human is born in sun
Inherited disease
Do humans still have free will?
Yes however the scales are faulty and evil is always more tempting - bias towards evil
What cure is there for original sin?
Gods grace
Social structure due to original sin
Lack of stability and corruption in all human societies
Forceful political authority otherwise sinful nature would rule
Some would argue Augustine’s views are
Pessimistic
Gods grace example
Jesus, gift of his son to remove the guilt and punishment from original sin
Some would argue however that Augustine’s views are
Optimistic
He emphasises Gods undeserved grace, God has gone to human levels to allow salvation to be available through Jesus
Problems with the fall, original sin
What if the fall was not a historical event
Genesis can be a myth and instead be a symbol, contains truths. Symbolic moment when a person first realised their situation and begins their spiritual journey
Evolutionary critiques of the fall
Evolved from lower animal forms which did not have the capacity for consciousness to rebel against a God
Dawkins critiques
‘What kind of ethical philosophy is it that condemns every child, even before it is born, to inherit the sin of a remote ancestor?’
Augustine on body/soul
There is more to humans than just a body
Humans can never be morally good critiques
Why bother trying to be good
Could god of made humans more Able to resist, questions gods omnipotence and omnibenevolence
What did Pelagius say about human nature
It’s not flawed, it must be theoretically possible for people to be good
J Rousseau on human nature
‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’
Humans are generous and only act otherwise dependant on the situation
Break these chains by appreciating others. Human nature is naturally good
Steven Pinker supporting Rousseau
Humanitarian principle. Humans get on better when taking into account the interest of others
John Paul Satre
‘there is no human nature’
Supporters of Augustine’s view of human nature
T Hobbes
Reinhold Niebuhr
Second Vatican Council
T Hobbes on human nature
Naturally humans are animal like and selfish, using reason to cooperate makes life tolerable
Reinhold Niebuhr
Inner will is defeated by egoism and self interest
Second Vatican Council
Human beings being split between good and evil
