Report in Philosophy of Human PersonPresented by:

Cristina Joy Reyes

“Augustine of Hippo”

Born: November 13, 354 AD, Tagaste NumidiaDied: August 28, 430 AD, Hippo Regius, AlgeriaFull name: Aurelius Augustinus HipponensisNationality: AlgerianParents: Saint Monica, Patricius Aurelius

Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine or Saint Austin, was one of the foremost philosopher – theologians of early Christianity and the leading figure in the church of North Africa .

As a child , he was schooled in Latin literature and at the age of 16, went to Cartage to study rhetoric .It was in Cartage where he became a teacher.

He lived for years with a woman who was not his legal wife and bore him a child whom he named Adeodatus (meaning “God-given”)

At the age of twenty , after his father died, Augustine turned to teaching to support his family.

At Cartage, he became enthusiastic about philosophy after reading cicero’s Hortenius.This work of Cicero led Augustine to have a passion for learning However , he was left with uncertainty as to where to find intellectual satisfaction .His Christian ideas became all the more unsatisfactory because he was not completely satisfied with the answers provided for him by his Christian belief as to the problem of moral evil.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

With the belief of the Christians that God is creator of all things , how can it be possible for a moral evil to arise in the world that is created by a God , who is a Summum Bonum?

Who is a Summum Bonum?

Summum bonum is a Latin expression meaning "the highest good", which was introduced by Cicero, to correspond to the Idea of the Good in Greek philosophy.

Manicheans, a Gnostic religion of late antiquity,

founded and spread by the

Persian Mani .

This conflict was reflected in human life in the conflict between the soul , which is connected to light , and the body , which is connected to darkness .

This group believed that there are two basic principles in the universe .

The principle of light or goodness.

The principle of darkness or evil.

However , as a philosopher , he continued asking questions like ‘ why are there two conflicting principles in nature?

Skepticism is the philosophy , which believed that we ought to doubt everything , and no truth can be comprehended by human beings . It is a manner of doubting as to whether it is possible for human being to attain perfect certainty of knowledge

Afterwards, he moved to Milan where he became a municipal professor of rhetoric in 384 CE .

During his stay in Milan ,he met and was tremendously influenced by Ambrose , who was then the bishop of Milan .

ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN

Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose (c. 340 – 4 April 397), was an archbishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church. He is patron saint of Milan. He is notable for his influence on St. Augustine.

Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world.

Through Plotinus, he was able to learn that evil is not actually a positive entity but rather a matter of privation , i..e., the absence of good . It seemed that Neo- Platonism provided for him a certain form of intellectual Satisfaction . However , his moral problem remained unsolved.

Through the sermons of Ambrose , he saw Platonism and Christianity as virtually one, seeing in Neo- Platonism the philosophical expression of Christianity . In 386, he was converted to Christianity , giving up hi profession of rhetoric and giving his life totally to the pursuit of philosophy , which he considered as a pursuit towards his knowledge of god . He later on become a prolific writer , a leader in the Catholic Church and a defender against heresy .

In 396 CE, he became bishop of Hippo . Later on, he fought himself in fighting against the opponents of the Church , one of which was Pelagius , who denied the doctrine of the original sin. At the age of 75 , Augustine died in the posture of reciting the Penitential Psalm during that time when the Vandals were besieging Hippo.

ST. AUGUSTINE’S VIEW

On the Human Person

ST. AUGUSTINE'S PHILOSOPHY

An attempt to reconcile and bring together an admirable synthesis the wisdom of Greek philosophy and the divine truths contained in the scriptures.

His philosophy is said to be eudaimonistic, means that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well-being.

According to him, God is the living personal God, the creator of all things, and the supreme ruler of the universe.

ACCORDING TO HIM GOD IS:

An Absolute SpiritThe Absolute WillThe Absolute IntelligenceThe Absolute FreedomThe Absolute GoodThe Absolute Holiness

IMAGO-DEI-RELATIONSHIP

human person bears the image of God and the human person’s crowning glory resides in his being an imago Dei.

SOCIETAL DIMENSION

everyone should give due respect and love to everyone because the others too are images of God.

For Augustine, God created the world out of nothing with love and the human person is part of his creation.

Life, for Augustine, is a dialectic movement towards love. Virtue, is the order of love.

All created things are good. Nothing is evil in itself.

THE CONCEPTOF EVIL

Augustine’s Philosophy• Evil is not an existing reality (deprivation)• Harmony of things• Summum Bonum created the world of matter and it cannot be evil.

-awareness of a person on what is good or who God is.

• Turning to God or not is a voluntary act.• Evil or Sin is the the product of the will.• All humanity possesses freedom of the will.• Virtue is the product of God’s grace.

• Human person is not self-sufficient.• Human person’s pride leads him away from God’s grace.• Human person is in a constant struggle for happiness.• Subordinating to the Divine Order by seeking eternal peace.

• Love of God is the means to find real satisfaction.• The purpose of human existence is to find happiness in God but not go beyond or defeat his purpose for us.

The Human person's desire towards the good may also lead him to the possibility that he may choose to turn away from the good, and cling instead to the goods of this earth; thereby, losing his real end or purpose of existence.

Doctrine of Disordered LoveFrom this doctrine, Augustine

held that the human society can be divided between those who love themselves and the world. The society who loves God,

Augustine called the Civitas Dei, the City of God.

The society who loves self and the world, he called Civitas Mundi, the City of the World.

Augustine believed that all men, so long as they are mortal, must of necessity be miserable. Everyone should, therefore, make a choice as to where he would like to be with. Every human person should, therefore, seek for God's grace in order to be led to his proper end. Hence, human beings should cling to the law of conscience, which will admonish them to do good and to avoid evil, the ultimate norm of morality.

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