Fallen Creation
Question 1
Augustine’s point of view about corruption and redemption of the human nature made him see the natural virtues of human beings that are extolled by the Greek and Roman Philosophers as the imperfect state of goodness. He emphasized the significance of having a will and possessing the capability of choosing between evil and good. The fundamental responsibility is to keep love and serve God. By selecting this, we will be able to know the difference between good and evil. Augustine states that we were created on the same platform before the eyes of God but the human being of today world is currently drifting towards evil deeds in an attempt to satisfy our excess needs and desire things for earthly things and to get pleasure. In this view, it has combinations of low opinions of human nature in believing in the immortality of their souls. Also, the beliefs that God only selects a few numbers of people who receive his grace and are saved.
To enhance the development of heavenly virtues, individuals who are embracing high moral potentials by conventions of formalities to both the engagement of social and political. They should know that they need to carry out renunciation of the material most and worldly form of goodness. Augustine opinion is that evil is a privation of good deeds. It does not exist independently, and bad things are just a form of good deeds that have been corrupted. If the right thing were to give up its traits of being right, then it would no longer exist as in this stage, it would bear nothing left that can be lost. Evil is, therefore, in most instances, linked with a specific missing life of existence. The worse they get, the less they exist. According to Augustine, he knew very well that his opponents had difficulty in understanding his claim that evil does not speak or existence attached. He mocked in suggestion who believe in non-reality of sins they would experience an entirely palpable of crime.
Question 2
Augustine’s worldview of Christians has seen the development of moral values of individuals that has a disconnection from the active engagement in the convention of activities of social and political. He sees no need for a political philosophy that has connection with the moral philosophy like how we see Plato, Aristotle, and also Confucius. The reason being, he never thought of himself as a politics or the social philosopher. The record of his ideology on themes like the nature of human society, justification of wrongdoings, the state’s character and its roles, the existing relationship between the church and its land, and peace that all people played in their part to contribute to the shaping of the western civilization. Augustine’s figure is standing out significantly from the rest about the intellectual intersection of Christianity, philosophy, and the political environment. Being a Christian, he has taken it as his duty to defend his group of Christians against the backdrop emerging assaults spawn in an era that is uninformed by the direct, divine revelations that were characterized by the apostolic age.
Question 3
Augustine’s philosophy is not affected by the criticism of other philosophers in the sense that, he is an essential pillar through which merging of the Greek philosophical traditions and also the scriptural traditions were successful. He is a towering figure of the philosophies during the medieval period and who’s his authority and ideas exerted a pervasive and endured influence into the modern period, and also in the present day, especially to the sympathetic religious traditions which he assisted their formation. But even to those who are not compassionate, Augustine thought of it is worthy of the serious attention of philosophy. Neo-Platonism to be particular penetrates the mainstream of the earliest and the following medieval philosophy. Also, there are significant contributions on their own that emerge from the modification of Greco-Roman form of inheritance. For example, the subtle accounts of believers and authority, knowledge, and its illumination of emphasis that is mainly upon the importance and the central character of the will.
References
Saint Augustine Understanding of the Creation and fall.