St. Augustine 4.0

 

SOC SCI II Social, Economics and Political Thought (WBYDX, 9:00-12:00NN, Wednesday) THINKER #3 – ST. AUGUSTINE

Reported by: Labao, Jorem Paulo Maranan, Clarenze Joy

I.

6.City of God(426), The Trinity(400-416), Trinity(400-416), The Confessions

Historical Context A. St. Augustine Augustine

1.Born on November 13, 354 in Tagaste (now Algeria),  North Africa

B. Rome Rome

1.Christianity has been officially tolerated in 313

2.His mother Saint Monica was a devout Christian while his father Patricius was a pagan until later in his life

2.Decline of Roman power in the fifth century (410):

3.Unremarkable childhood

a. Sack Sacked ed by by Visi Visigo goth thss

4.Plato and Cicero (Hortensius) greatly influence him

 b. Growing betrayal betrayal of its pristine civic civic virtues

5.Bishop of Hippo in 395 to 430

c. Republic Republicanis anism m to monarc monarchica hicall imperial imperialism ism 3.People became attracted to Christianity Christianity

II II..

St. Augu gust stiine ne’s ’s Tho hou ugh ghtt on Society

Origin It is founded in God and in the Bible.

Nature →Visible societies: Church State • •

→Invisible societies: The City of Heaven The City of the World • •

Dynamics →Visible societies: The church is divinely established and leads humankind to eternal goodness, which is God. •

•

The state adheres to the virtues of   politics and of the mind, mind, formulating a political community.

 

→Invisible societies: The City of Heaven is for those  predestined of salvation The City of the World is for those given eternal damnation The City of Heaven uses economic Goods for the achievement of  •

•

Man uses economic goods for both the Economy

Politics Origin->God is the supreme leader   Nature->God is the supreme leader, leader, church is the followers Dynamics-> God gave his son for t he redemption of the world and for heralding the apostles to preach the ways of god

city of Heaven and the City of the World

 prevalent with cused ities,for. except except on the mannerwith theyboth are cities,

a. A llead eader er may may com comee from from the earthly city or the heavenly city

a. Ea Earth rthly ly city city - lo love ve of of ru rulin ling g Heavenly city - serve one another in love

 b. The objective objective of war is peace peace

 b. Man wages war not to interrupt the peace but to change it to a peace which suits them better 

Church->members of the city of GOD

Sociology

The use of Economic goods is

This is based on St. Augustine’s concept of human nature and on the Bible and God.

heavenly glory for God. The City of the World uses goods for  the glory of man alone. a. Ear Earthy thy city city – govern governed ed by their love of power  Heavenly city – governed by their love of God: the greatest commandment  b. A ruler is born born from this this as he desires the kind of peace on his household to his city

→Humans have free will →Humans are moved by what Augustine calls loves (desires), which can be and most of the time are sinful →All humans ultimately crave peace →War is due to difference of 

→Man is blessed with free will: -follow God’s commandments -follow the ways of the world →Man is divided by their “loves”: -Unity for the love of God -Unity for the love of Self  →Peace is desired by both

languages →The objective of war is peace →The love of and the love of our  neighbour 

Cities: -Peace is needed for the worship of God -Peace is needed for the purpose of man →War happens when there is miscommunication -different languages formulate misunderstandings between two groups of people →”Every man seeks peace by waging war, but no man seeks war by making  peace.” →The Three Loves: God, himself and

 

his neighbour. -He who loves God loves himself. It follows that he must endeavour to get his neighbour to love God, since he is ordered to love his neighbour as himself.

References: Anonymous (nd). Retrieved June 26 2013 taken http://internationalpoliticaltheory.blogspot.com/2012/03/political-thought-of-st-augustine.html? m=1#!/2012/03/political-thought-of-st-augustine.html SparkNotes Editors. (2005). SparkNote on Saint Augustine (A.D. 354–430). Retrieved June 28, 2013, from http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/augustine/ Ebenstein, et al (2000) Great Political Thinkers 6th ed. Pp. XX. Fort Worth, TX: Hardcoutt College Publishers