Saint Augustine's Philosophy: Truth, God, and Humanity

Theory of Knowledge

Saint Augustine sought truth and happiness (bliss), which he believed are found in Christ. He believed that faith and reason are complementary, and that reason is not insufficient. Saint Augustine stated that we can find truth within ourselves, thus negating skepticism. He distinguished between:

• Sensitive Knowledge: Derived from information received through the senses. It is unreliable and represents the lowest level of knowledge.
• Rational Knowledge: Proper to human beings, enabling judgments based on concrete realities, intangible models, and universal and eternal truths.

Truth, according to Augustine, is "the adequacy of the intellect to the thing" (logical truth). It resides in reason and transcends it. Augustine adopted the concept of "Forms" from Plato, positing that God is truth itself—the only, necessary, and eternal truth (ontological truth).

• Contemplation of ideas through the mind is the highest level of knowledge, leading to wisdom. This is only possible through divine illumination—the light of God illuminating the human soul.

The Augustinian God / Theodicy

Regarding the question of God, Augustine's philosophy is twofold:

• The Existence of God: Creatures are living proof that God exists. He becomes visible through His effects. The test of universal consent, as humanity agrees that there is a being above all things, demonstrates that human beings are sensitive to judging things based on ideas imprinted on their souls. These ideas exist and can only originate from an immutable and eternal being. God, as the foundation of truth, is the strongest argument in favor of His existence.
• The Nature of God: God's nature is ineffable, not explainable in words. This is termed "negative theology": we can only say what God is *not*. God is immutable. Mutable beings, in their desire to truly *be*, have only reproduced the reality of the ideal model that exists in the mind of God. This reproduction is imperfect and seeks perfection in God's ideal.

Regarding creation, Augustine defended the concept of "Forms" and the transcendence of God. He believed that God created the world out of nothing, outside of time, and through His free will. Matter was also created by God and cannot be a source of evil. To explain the generation of new creatures over time, Augustine used the notion of *seminal rationes*, which develop each in its own time.

Anthropology

Augustine believed that only human beings possess a rational mind, composed of a lower reason (sensitive knowledge) and a higher reason (considering ideas from divine illumination). The soul is immortal and desires absolute happiness (bliss). It is temporary because Augustine denied the eternity of the soul. He expressed no great conviction for either Traducianism or Creationism. The soul has three faculties that are identified with the Trinity: memory (identity) corresponds to God the Father, intelligence (knowledge) to God the Son, and will (love) to the Holy Spirit. The soul, as in Plato's philosophy, is a simple and indivisible spiritual substance, the principle that gives life to the body. To explain feelings, Saint Augustine proposed that when the body receives a stimulus, the soul produces an image. The union of the soul and body, created by God, forms the composite that is man. The soul did not have a previous existence, and the body is the prison of the soul because of original sin.

Ethics

Augustine proposed a eudemonistic ethics based on happiness and bliss. He believed that the will drives the soul through love—understanding and love of God, but also love for others. The origin of evil is a privation of good. Evil arises from the misuse of free will; therefore, man, not God, is responsible for evil. Free will makes one accountable for one's life and subject to reward or punishment. Saint Augustine distinguished between *free will*—man's ability to act voluntarily, which since original sin is oriented toward evil—and *freedom*—the ability to make good use of free will, which requires God's grace.

History and the City of God

Augustine wrote "City of God" to defend Christianity against the accusation of being the cause of Rome's decline. The birth of Christ marks three historical periods: the past (before Christ), the present (in Christ), and the future (after Christ until the end of time). Saint Augustine introduced the linear concept of time into philosophy. From the beginning of history, two cities have coexisted in the world: the City of God and the Earthly City. Our membership in one or the other depends on whether we love God or ourselves. The Church, embodying Christian principles, should transmit these principles to the State and is superior to it. Augustine defended the Church's intervention in civil society against the Donatists.