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Augustine on Human Nature (Modern Interpretations (Sin and collective…
Augustine on Human Nature
Humans After the Fall
Pride caused the fall. "For pride is the start of every kind of sin" (City of God)
Will divided
Humans rational enough to see what is moral, humans are now
weakened by desires
. "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want, is what I do." (
St.Paul Romans 7:15, 19-20
)
Known as
'Akrasia'
- weakness of will
Cupiditas separated from Caritas
Concupiscence - uncontrolled desires** - dominate human existence. "It awaits me in the very process of passing from the discomfort of hunger, to the contentment which comes when it is satisfied" (Confessions 10.31)
Original Sin
Double death
First death caused by the Fall,
destroying the connection between God and humanity
. Shown by Adam and Eve's embarssment over being naked (Genesis 3:8-10)
Second death is the
mortal state of every human
, punishment for the first disobedience (Genesis 3:19)
Transmission of sin
The first act of disobedience is
passed on to each generation
. The act of sex, tainted by concupiscence, means that every human is
'born in sin'
No amount of
reason
could overcome evil
Only
God's grace
can
This is
reliant on faith
. Without faith, someone can't be saved from original sin
Humans Before the Fall
Human will in harmony with God's
No evil, lust, pain, greed or sin
Cupiditas (self-love) and Caritas (generous love) in harmony
Influences
Manicheans
Humans have two souls, the
higher soul that desires God
, and the
lower soul that desires evil
Evil
not caused
by God
Higher soul can be liberated from material world through prayer, and abstinence from evil
Platonism
The soul can
ascend, and merge with God
. With God, it will encounter truth, wisdom and happiness
Pelagians
Humans have
enough free-will to overcome personal sin
Modern Interpretations
The fall, representative of a person's spiritual journey
Life is no longer just a journey from life to death, but one from a place of discontent, to God. Further that, after this life, this relationship continues in heaven
Original sin is irrational
How can the mistakes of
two individuals
cause the
entirety of corruption
. "What kind of ethical philosophy is it that condemns every child, even before it is born, to inherit the sin of a remote ancestor?"
(
Dawkins
: The God Delusion (2006)
Humanitarian princliple
Evil can be thwarted by humans using their
reason
to take into account the
interests of others
, not through God's grace. "You and I are better off if we share our surpluses, rescue each other's children and refrain from knifing each other" (
Pinker
: The better angels of our nature (2011)
Sin and collective moral responsibility
Optimism over sin has
corrupted the human sense of responsibility
. Through rejecting an Augustinian view of sin, we fail to realise
no action is ever absolutely good
. Individually this may not be noticeable, but
as collective
this issue is clearly evident
"The perennial tragedy of human history is that those who cultivate the spiritual elements usually do so
by divorcing themselves from the problems of collective man
" (
Niebuhr
: Moral man and immoral society (1932)
Libido - sex drive - not cured by God's grace, but through psychoanalysis
Sex not just for reproduction, but for improving human relations. Libido is sourced from an event in the past. It can be cured by recalling these past events (
Freud
)