MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

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MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

• TIME PERIOD 8TH-14TH CENTURIES
• 3 STAGES (1) 8-12TH CENT PREPARATORY PERIOD
  (2) 13TH CENT THE GREAT SYNTHESES BONAVENTURE,
  THOMAS AQUINAS, DUNS SCOTUS (3) 14TH CENT
  DECLINE/DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
• GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS (1) SYNTHESIS OF FAITH
  REASON (2) PHILOSOPHY THE HANDMAIDEN OF
  THEOLOGY(3) USE OF GREEK ROMAN PHILOSOPHICAL
  CONCEPTS FOR THEOLOGICAL PURPOSE

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AUGUSTINE 354 430INFLUENCIAL FIGURE FOR
WESTERN MEDIEVAL THOUGHT

• INFLUENCED BY PLATO PLOTINUS
• NO CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY
  THEOLOGY
• FUNCTION OF REASON IN THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM A
  HELP TO PREPARE A MAN FOR FAITH NO PURELY
  NATURAL MAN MANS FINAL END SUPERNATURAL END
• PROTO MEDIEVAL EXISTENTIALIST

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AUGUSTINES EPISTEMOLOGY

• FOCUS KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH THAT BRINGS TRUE
  HAPPINESS/ BEATITUDE
• BASIC QUESTION HOW DOES THE FINITE, CHANGING
  HUMAN MIND ATTAIN CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF ETERNAL
  TRUTHS WHICH RULE GOVERN THE MIND, AND SO
  TRANSCEND IT?
• KNOWLEDGE OF ETERNAL TRUTH BRINGS THE SOUL TO
  KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND HIS ACTIVITY

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AUGUSTINES EPISTEMOLOGY

• CONTRA ACADEMICOS WISDOM PERTAINS TO HAPPINESS,
  KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH PERTAINS TO WISDOM EVEN THE
  SCEPTICS ARE CERTAIN OF SOME TRUTHS ONE WHO
  DOUBTS KNOWS THAT HE IS DOUBTING ? CERTAIN OF
  THIS TRUTH THE FACT THAT HE DOUBTS
• A MAN IS AT LEAST CERTAIN OF HIS EXISTENCE SI
  FALLOR, SUM IF I CAN BE DECEIVED THEN I EXIST
  ANTICIPATES DESCARTES

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AUGUSTINES EPISTEMOLOGY

• DE LIBERO ARBITRIO MAN CERTAIN OF 3 THINGS THAT
  HE EXISTS, THAT HE LIVES, AND THAT HE UNDERSTANDS
  
• CERTAINTY FOR WHAT WE KNOW BY INNER EXPERIENCE,
  BY SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS RETURN WITHIN OURSELVES
  WHERE TRUTH ABIDES, USE THE SOUL, THE IMAGE OF
  GOD, AS A STEPPING-STONE TO HIM
• AUGUSTINES PLATONISM WITH REGARD TO KNOWLEDGE OF
  SENSE-OBJECTS

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AUGUSTINES EPISTEMOLOGY

• AUGUSTINES THEORY OF ILLUMINISM PLOTINIAN
  INFLUENCE AS THE SUNLIGHT MAKES CORPOREAL THINGS
  VISIBLE TO THE EYE, SO THE DIVINE ILLUMINATION
  MAKES THE ETERNAL TRUTHS VISIBLE TO THE MIND

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AUGUSTINES CONCEPT OF GOD

• AUGUSTINES CENTRAL FAVORITE PROOF OF GODS
  EXISTENCE A PROOF FROM THOUGHT/WITHIN, THE
  MINDS APPREHENSION OF NECESSARY CHANGLESS
  TRUTHS. GOD IS THE TRUTH THE GROUND of all
  truths.
• NOT SO MUCH CONCERNED TO PROVE TO THE ATHEIST
  THAT GOD EXISTS AS TO SHOW HOW ALL CREATION
  PROCLAIMS THE GOD WHOM THE SOUL CAN EXPERIENCE IN
  ITSELF, THE LIVING GOD

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AUGUSTINES CONCEPT OF GOD

• INTERESTED MORE IN THE DYNAMIC ATTITUDE OF THE
  SOUL TOWARDS GOD, NOT THE CONSTRUCTION OF
  DIALECTICAL ARGUMENTS WITH A PURELY THEORETICAL
  CONCLUSION
• LINKING UP THE PROOF FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
  WITH THE SOULS SEARCH FOR GOD AS THE SOURCE OF
  HAPPINESS
• HUMAN BEING AS THE IMAGE OF GOD THE WORLD OF ALL
  CREATURES REFLECTS MANIFESTS GOD

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AUGUSTINE - THE WORLD

• FREE CREATION OUT OF NOTHING
• EMPHASIZING THE ESSENTIAL DEPENDENCE OF ALL
  CREATURES ON GOD THE PERISHABLE NATURE OF ALL
  CORPOREAL CREATURES
• RATIONES SEMINALES THE GERMS OF THOSE THINGS
  WHICH WERE TO DEVELOP IN THE COURSE OF TIME,
  POTENTIALITES CREATED BY GOD

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AUGUSTINE - THE WORLD

• MAN BODY IMMORTAL SOUL THE PEAK OF MATERIAL
  CREATION RATIONAL SOUL USING A MORTAL EARTHLY
  BODY
• THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL IS EVIDENT FROM ITS
  CAPACITY TO APPREHEND THE ETERNAL AND CHANGELESS
  TRUTHS

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AUGUSTINES ETHICS

• EUDAIMONISTIC ETHICS TRUE HAPPINESS CAN BE FOUND
  ONLY IN GOD, THE ATTAINMENT POSSESSION OF THE
  ETERNAL IMMUTABLE GOOD
• AN ETHICS OF LOVE IT IS THE THE WILL/LOVE THAT
  MAN REACHES OUT TOWARD GOD AND FINALLY TAKES
  POSSESSION OF ENJOYS HIM
• THE ATTAINMENT OF BEATITUDE IS NOT POSSIBLE
  WITHOUT GODS GRACE

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AUGUSTINES ETHICS

• FREEDOM NECESSARY BASIS OF OBLIGATION THE WILL
  IS FREE TO TURN AWAY FROM THE IMMUTABLE GOOD AND
  TO ATTACH ITSELF TO MUTABLE GOOD
• BY TURNING AWAY FROM GOD THE WILL RUNS COUNTER TO
  THE DIVINE LAW WHICH IS EXPRESSED IN HUMAN NATURE
• THE ETERNAL LAWS OF MORALITY ARE IMPRESSED IN THE
  HEART OF MAN BY GOD

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AUGUSTINES ETHICS

• JUST AS THE HUMAN MIND PERCEIVES ETERNAL
  THEORETICAL TRUTHS IN THE LIGHT OF GOD, SO IT
  PERCEIVES, IN THE SAME LIGHT, PRACTICAL TRUTHS OR
  PRINCIPLES WHICH SHOULD DIRECT THE FREE WILL
• THE WILL IS FREE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SUBJECT TO
  MORAL OBLIGATION, TO LOVE GOD IS A DUTY
• GRACE IN NEEDED EVEN TO BEGIN TO WILL TO LOVE GOD

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AUGUSTINES ETHICS

• EVIL TURNING THE WILL AWAY FROM GOD MORAL
  PERFECTION CONSISTS IN LOVING GOD, DIRECTING THE
  WILL TO GOD AND BRINGING ALL OTHER POWERS INTO
  HARMONY WITH THIS DIRECTION
• THE CAUSE OF EVIL NOT THE CREATOR BUT THE
  CREATED WILL
• MORAL EVIL A PRIVATION OF RIGHT ORDER IN THE
  CREATED WILL

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AUGUSTINES ETHICS

• IF MORALITY IS LOVE OF GOD AND THE ESSENCE OF
  EVIL IS A FALLING-AWAY FROM GOD ?2 GREAT CAMPS
  THOSE WHO LOVE GOD PREFER GOD TO SELF AND THOSE
  WHO PREFER SELF TO GOD
• AUGUSTINE LOOKED ON HISTORY FROM THE CHRISTIAN
  STANDPOINT AND THAT HIS OUTLOOK WAS PRIMARILY
  SPIRITUAL AND MORAL.

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AUGUSTINE AND THE STATE

• HE SAW IN HISTORY AS HE SAW IN THE INDIVIDUAL,
  THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN 2 PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCT, 2
  LOVES LOVE OF GOD SUBMISSION TO HIS LAW AND
  LOVE OF SELF, OF PLEASURE AND OF THE WOLRD
• THE HEAVENLY CITY (CIVITAS DEI) VS THE PAGAN
  STATE (CIVITAS TERRENA) THEYARE MORAL AND
  SPIRITUAL IDEAS, NOT EXACTLY COTERMINUS WITH ANY
  ACTUAL ORGANISATION

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SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUSTINE

• HE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR MEDIEVAL THINKING,
  ADAPTED PLATONISM TO CHRISTIAN FAITH, GAVE
  SYSTEMATIC FORMULATION OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY
• HIS SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT
  OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

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SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUSTINE

• HIS PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY EXERTED AN IFLUENCE NOT
  ONLY ON RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS BUT ON SECULAR
  PHILOSOPHERS
• SINCE THE TIME OF AUGUSTINE, THE SELF IN ITS
  RELATIONSHIP TO GOD BECOMES THE SUPREME PROBLEM
  OF PHILOSOPHY
• WE APPRECIATE HIM NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE ANSWERS
  HE GAVE BUT BECAUSE OF THE DEEP QUESTIONS HE
  RAISED