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Augustine and Human Nature (Criticisms (Pelagianism - Human nature was not…
Augustine and Human Nature
Criticisms
Augustine's teachings are founded on a literal belief of the Genesis story which many - including Catholics - believe is the incorrect interpretation of the book
Pelagianism -
Human nature was not tainted by Original Sin meaning that we are still able to distinguish between good and evil without divine assistance
God knew our capabilities and so would not have given us a task he knew we would not be achieve. Also, he would not eternally condemn humanity if he was truly all-loving
Rousseau - 'Tabula rasa' -
All humans are born with a 'blank slate' without Original Sin. No knowledge is innate and everything is learnt through life experience
Keith Ward -
The Fall is not our fault. Why should we have to suffer for the transgressions of Adam and Eve
Augustine seems to view all of human nature through his own debaucherous life. He believed that his overtly 'sinful' life was the norm rather than the exception
'Give me chastity, but not yet.' (Confessions)
Sartre - Existentialism -
There is no such thing as human nature. We have the capacity to make our own nature through our own choices in 'good faith':
'Existence precedes essence'
The theory of evolution completely disproves the Fall as a historical event
Modern psychology (such as the
Milgram experiment)
has suggested that humans are inclined to follow directions from a superior source even if it goes against their own personal conscience. This undermines Augustine's idea that Adam and Eve deliberately and easily went against God's orders
The Fall, Original Sin, and Gender
Augustine takes every aspect of the Genesis story to be both Scientific and Theologically true
'But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die' (Genesis 2:17)
- Adam and Eve knew the risk of disobeying God and so Original Sin is entirely our fault
God punished humanity for Original Sin by making child-birth more painful and also making a social hierarchy where women are subservient to men
Augustine interpreted where it says in Genesis 2:18:
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
to mean that women were specifically created for the purpose of reproduction.
'I cannot think of any reason for woman’s being made as man’s helper if we dismiss the reason of procreation.'
In the
pre-lapsarian state,
sex was done on the basis of rational command from the soul for the purpose of procreation. It is the Fall that introduces lust
Concupiscence
In the
post-lapsarian
state where all humans born would have rebellious feelings against God. An example would be whenever bodily desire overrules the judgment of the rational soul
Lust as part of sexual activity would ensure the continuation of concupiscence as it meant that all humans are born as a direct result of sin
This can be used to explain why even very young children seem to have a predisposition to sin despite having very little real world experience
'For in your sight, no man is free from sin, not even a child who has lived only one day on earth.'
The human genitalia (
'pudenda'
) are signs of shame as we are slaves to our sexual lust
If God had created humans who always chose to do good then they would not have real free will. Evil was a lack of the good that God intended for the world. In other words, it was a falling short of God's standards.
The Soul and Sin
'We are composites of soul and body [...] For although soul and body are two things, and neither would be called a "man" if the other did not exist.'
As both body and soul come from God, both are good and both are an essential part of what it is to be human.
'[The soul is]
a certain substance partaking in reason and suited to rule the body'
The gift of reason is a reflection of God's eternal law and we sin whenever our bodily desires overpower the reason of our soul
'Now the human body is subject to mechanistic process, but thought is not so subject.'
Not only is reason a reflection of God, but the soul is also what makes us capable of Free Will
The soul carries out a
'deliberative'
function where it can understand the nature of God
Optimist or Pessimist?
Pessimist
Seems perfectly able to accept that the vast majority of people are doomed to eternity
Seems to be a pretty dim view about what humans are actually able to achieve in their lives in terms of getting closer to God
Teachings could be interpreted as there being no point in trying to be a good person as the damage is already too significant for you to repair
Optimist
Outlined in
'City of God'
that the telos of all humans is a pilgrimage to achieve the grace of God
Could also be interpreted by saying that the realisation of our own imperfections could lead to significant moral progress
Confessions
takes on a more sympathetic and realistic notion of human nature accepting that living a life free of sin and avarice is incredibly difficult - due to his own life experience - .