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Augustine 354430ad

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Returns to N. Africa & becomes bishop of Hippo. Writes extensively in philosophy and theology ... To know a language is to know the meaning of words in the language ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Augustine 354430ad

1
Augustine(354-430ad)

Born near Carthage (Algeria) in N. Africa
Christian mother (Monica)
Pagan father
Citizen of the Roman Empire
Christianity the official religion of the Empire
since the edit of Constantine (313ad)

Educated in Carthage
masters rhetoric
rejects Christianity
embraces sensuality
Mistress Adeodatus
Accepts Manichæism
two opposed fundamental forces for good and evil
(compare the four forces of contemporary physics
weak strong electromagnetic gravity)
conflict manifested in all things, including
inevitable human moral failing

Becomes noted rhetorician
Moves to Rome as a teacher in 384
Meets and studies w. Ambrose in Milan
rejects Manicheanism accepts (neo) platonism
after intellectual struggle adopts Christianity
in 387

Returns to N. Africa becomes bishop of Hippo
Writes extensively in philosophy and theology
Recognized as a Father of the Church
Influenced much of medieval philosophy and
anticipates important ideas in modern philosophy

5
Knowledge and Illumination

Distinguish knowledge of
sensible particular (contingent) objects
nonsensible laws of science (or platonic forms)
universality
necessity

Experience
limited by space and time
results in knowledge of the sensible, contingent
particular
cannot produce knowledge of the universal and
necessary
We do have knowledge of the universal and
necessary. How?

7
An Example of Illumination

Trickster secretly tells Confederate the answers
to questions that Confederate could not otherwise
know
e.g. What are the four numbers written on the
paper hidden in my desk?

Trickster Confederate publicly perform their
trick for Witness
Trickster asks the question
Confederate miraculously answers correctly and
amazes Witness
Witness concludes
Confederate could not have known the (hidden)
answers through sensation
Trickster must have informed (illumined)
Confederate
Thats the only way Confederate could have know
the answers

9
Moral of the Story

Confederate has knowledge beyond the bounds of
sensation
Only communication suffices to explain
Confederates knowledge
Certainly, Confederates knowledge acquired not
innate

10
Illumination

Thesis the only way to explain how people have
knowledge of universal and necessary scientific
laws/forms is to hypothesize that God informs or
illuminates them
The process of illumination is unspecified

Illumination is not innate because
knowledge of laws/forms is differentially
acquired during the course of life
different people learn different science/forms at
different times
whereas innate knowledge is common to all and
inherent in all throughout life

12
Arguments for Illumination

Argument from Hierarchy
The universe is hierarchically organized, with
forms at the top and above people
Nothing can act upon anything higher in the
hierarchy
So, people cannot act on forms

So, people cannot come to know the forms by
acting upon the forms through study
Nevertheless, some people do come to know some
forms
This knowledge must result from the action of
something at least as high in the hierarchy as
the forms
But nothing is higher than the forms

Hence, it is the action of the forms upon people
that causes knowledge
Augustine holds that God the forms
So, knowledge of the forms is the result of Gods
action illumination

15
Argument from Language

To know a language is to know the meaning of
words in the language
Meaning distinguishes between co-extensive
properties
contrast triangular trilateral
A language learner cannot distinguish
co-extensive properties in experience by
ostention
So, meaning language cannot be learned
experientially

Since language is mastered differentially, it is
not innate but rather taught
The only possible teacher is God it takes a
miracle illumination (some nonsensory process)
to explain the acquisition of language

17
Necessity and Universality(redundant)

Some people learn scientific laws or forms with
full necessity and universality
Sensation alone cannot provide such knowledge
since it pertains only to the particular
Sensation must be supplemented by the universal
principle of induction authorizing inference from
the particular to the general
Illumination must be the source of such knowledge
of the principle of induction

18
Problems w. Illumination

If illumination is divine intervention,
why does learning require our effort and work?
why does God illumine evil people?
what is the exact process of illumination?
how do you know when youve been illumined rather
than deceived?

19
Creation Ex Nihilo

The universe changes constantly
To change is to become something from what was
not
e.g. if a leaf changes from green to red, it
becomes red from what was not, i.e. what was not
red
So, change requires that something come from
nothing, i.e. that something comes from what was
not.

It is impossible under purely natural processes
that something come from nothing.
So, there must exist something God that never
changes and miraculously creates each momentary
stage of the changing universe from what was not
nothing (ex nihilo).
To create ex nihilo is to create without using
matter it is to create simply by decree, command
or thought.

Since God creates the universe ex nihilo, God is
responsible for everything in the universe both
good and bad
In creating the universe, God foresees or knows
the entire history of the universe in full detail
So God knows everything that each person does
before he/she does it

22
Creation Ex Nihilo and Evil

(i) By hypothesis, God is perfect benevolent,
omnipotent, and omniscient
(ii) Assume Evil exists
(iii) God created the universe ex nihilo
So, God is responsible for evil (assuming evil
exists)

But if God is perfect, God could not be
responsible for evil
Now we have a contradiction
God is is not responsible for evil
Contradictions are never true and arise in
arguments resulting from one or more false
assumptions
Hence, either (i), (ii), or (iii) must be false

Augustine rejects (ii) he asserts that what we
take to be evil is really good
Evil is illusory
Recognition of evil is a fallible theoretical
inference, not observation!
Recall Is perception top down?
Suffering is really a good thing
it appears evil to us as an inference from a
false theory ignorance of Gods purpose in
allowing it

Immorality results when people freely choose
what, contrary to appearance, is actually good
yet not as good as what they might otherwise have
chosen
immorality is really the lesser of two goods, not
the reality of evil

26
Freedom, Necessity Volition

The Problem
In creating ex nihilo, God knows the entire
history of the universe
So, God knows every human action before it occurs
What God knows shall occur must occur

So, every human action that does occur must occur
What must occur is necessary
So, every human action is necessary
What is necessary is not free
So, no human action is free!

28
Fate for Atheists

All propositions are true or false
So, all propositions about the future are true or
false
Consider all true propositions about the future
the ones about you your autobiography

These propositions now indicate what will happen
your autobiography indicates all that you will
ever do
If the propositions about the future are now
true, then what they indicate will happen must
happen
So, what will happen, must happen
What must happen is necessary

So, whatever will happen is necessary
Hence everything that will happen according to
your autobiography is necessary
Whatever is necessary is not free
So, nothing in your autobiography is free
Hence you are not free neither is anyone else
Human freedom is illusory

31
Augustine on Freedom

Divine providence is compatible with human
freedom despite the contrary argument
Providence does imply the necessity of the future
However, freedom is compatible necessity
Human freedom is really the result of voluntary
action

Voluntary action is action aimed at what an agent
wants
Divine providence does entail that human action
is necessary, but it may yet be voluntary
So, since freedom is really voluntary action,
action may be necessary yet still free
Hence, divine providence is compatible with
freedom

33
Whats Freedom?

Augustine holds that freedom is voluntary action,
even if the action is necessary
But, assume that youre imprisoned cannot leave
it is necessary that you stay
does your staying voluntarily make your staying
free?

34
Necessary Volition

Augustine holds that freedom is voluntary action,
even if the action is necessary
But, voluntary actions require volitions
Are volitions themselves necessary?
If volitions are necessary, are voluntary actions
really free?

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