Intro Flashcards
What is human nature ?
Essential sense of what humans are like, shared characteristics
How did Augustine live his early life ?
In selfishness, sin and pride
What was Augustine consumed with ?
With lust for his mistress
Where did Augustine document his life ?
His writing ‘confession’
What did Augustine talk about in the confessions ?
His struggle with sin and his desires to understand human nature
What happened to Augustine later on in his life ?
Had a religious experience and converted to Christianity
Due to his conversion to Christianity what’ did Augustine become ?
Bishop of Hippo
What did Augustine rejected and favour in his youth ?
He rejected Christianity and favoured Manicheism in his youth
What is manicheism ?
A Form of esoteric Christianity
What did Augustine struggle to reconcile in his youth ?
The problem of Evil
What did Manichees believe ?
There were two opposing forces good and evil
What is manichees believe of two opposing forces of good and evil similar to ?
To Plato opposites , e.g knowledge vs opinion
Manichees says forces are trying to pull your souls towards good and evil , what’s our jobs as individuals to do ?
To reduce everything that is pulling you towards evil and embrace that which pulls you towards good
What should people reduce ?
Everything pulling you to evil
What should people embrace ?
That which pulls you towards good
According to confessions by Augustine what does he wanted to be pulled towards ?
Pull towards goodness
But what does he give in to ?
Gives into the pull toward evil
What does Augustine see the soul as ?
As the soul
What does Augustine see evil as ?
As bodily urges
Example of bodily urges ?
Sex , lust and desire
How can we escape sinful bodily urges according to Augustine ?
Rationalism and contemplation
Where did Augustine write his text city of God
Hippo
