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Augustine on human nature - Coggle Diagram
Augustine on human nature
human relationships pre/post fall
state of perfection before the fall
according to genesis when god created humans he made them as the pinnacle of his creation in his image and likeness
they lived in the garden of eden - a perfect paradise where all they had to do was name the animals and live their life
they could eat from any vegetation except for the fruit tree of knowledge of good and veil
the state that adam and eve lived in can only be described as perfect harmony - they had everything they needed, there were no threats to their lives, in harmony with god and lived in complete obedience to god
augustine interpreted these few verses of genesis to say that there was perfect harmony between the human body, will and reason
adam and eves relationship
they were married as friends
they were friends with god and the rest of creation
their friendship included reproduction
they would have had the pleasure of ex - but as friendship is greater good than lust the sex would have been without lust
the fall
the serpent tempts eve to eat from the three of knowledge of good and evil - she does so and adam follows suit
they realise they are naked, they hide from god, he finds out and they are duly punished
Augustine interprets the events of the fall in a number of ways:
the shame of nakedness and the punishment to eve of lust and subordination defines male-female relationships post fall
harmony is lost and self love and generous love separate within the will - they pull humans in opposing directions
augustine is clear that it is the will not the body that has been corrupted
lust and selfish desires post fall
friendship can still exist and still be important but it is less straightforward because the will has become clouded
the will therefore moves people away from the good
lust becomes to rule human relationships
this lack of control over our desires especially our lust is concupiscence
human will - for augustine given to humans by god at creation and used to make choices - it is driven by self love and generous love which work together to help people choose to love god properly
original sin and its effects
effects on the will
the will continues in its disharmony and therefore rebels
this is illutrated sexually - man loses his ability to control his sexual desires - not just during sex but also in his desire to have sex
those who do not have the urge for sex are showing a will rebelling in other ways
it is important to understand that other thinkers see original sin as describing human nature but augustine saw it as changing it therefore from the fall onwards no human being is truly good however much they do good things
augustine believed that original sin is passed on to all generations through sexual intercourse because all humans are united through being descendants of adam and eve and all are conceived as a result of lust
this shows concupiscence
this view is still held by catholic church
augustine said that original sin was a double death ;
killing the friendship between god and humans
becoming mortal following the fall
effects on human societies
before the fall humanity was characterised by friendship and the leadership humans required was gentle
however after the fall humans needed proper authority to control them and their rebellious wills
this is shown in the different types of leader through the OT
slavery was an example of the effect of the fall on society
augustine spoke of societys need for peace (earthly peace) which is temporary and is based around earthly material interests
society must strive for this limited form of peace by aiming for virtues such as self control which would never have been needed without the fall
christians should however keep in mind that there is a greater peace available to all - the church is available to help people on this journey
analysing
strengths
sexual desires seem to play a disproportionate part in human life
The RC church says that humans are divided and need the help of god to develop
Augustines view seems to corresponding with our own experiences of life - we are torn in different directions even when they are wrong
freud also said that the libido is central to the motivation of humans
weaknesses
Augustines account relies on a literal interpretation of the adam and eve story and it could be unfair for people to be tainted by an act from so long ago
there doesnt seem to be space for humans to develop spiritually or morally in augustines account
evolution implies that we are headed towards perfection not away from it
dawkins said that augustines negative approach has led to a lot of human suffering as well as an over emphasis on sexuality
can humans ever be morally good?
although the emphasis is that original sin is not the same as a day to day sin
augustine is clear that everyone is corrupted by the event
is it actually possible for humans ever to be good? and if not is there any point in living virtuous lives?
augustine doesnt think this - he says that people need to keep in mind things beyond earth - both the heavenly peace and also what god can give directly; grace
it still seems unfair for humans to be living lives that will always fall short and this raises key questions about the nature of god
when we look at a new born baby it is very hard to imagine it tainted with original sin - we start with clear records that society messes up (Rousseau)
seems unfair for humanity to be defined almost entirely by the idea of sex - many modern philosophers see sex as a healthy part of what it is to be human and would suggest that augustine was too consumed by his own gilt and his early life where he found it difficult to control his sexual desires
it is possible to argue that there is no one distinct human nature and therefore it is possible for some to be good
psychological experiments have shown that placed in identical situations humans react differently - in this case it could be argued that the question of whether humans can ever be morally good remains unclear
gods grace
our free will is naturally limited by the fact that in augustines eyes people are tainted by concupiscence and so cannot choose the right action every time even by the use of reason
gods grace can make right choices however - gods grace is freely given to undeserving humans and is seen especially in the sacrifice made by jesus on the cross
humans can accept the grace of god but as they continue to sin augustine believes that god elects some people to go to heaven - this is a sign of gods benevolence that he is still prepared to let some people go to heaven
this underlines the belief that humans do not deserve grace but grace is the only thing that can save people from hell
inspired by plato augustine talks about gods goodness being a greatest good (summum bonum) that is available only for some - it is part of gods nature
goodness in this world is always temporary whereas the summum bonum is eternal happiness only found in the permanent presence of god
no person can buy a place in heaven it can only be given by grace
pessimistic or omtimistic view on human nature
pessimistic
we are tainted from the moment we are born
there is little opportunity to develop away from our fallen states and no total escape from it
where there is such opportunity it is only to pursue earthly peace rather than true heavenly peace
concupiscence us an extremely strong force that we cannot escape
his teachings about election and predestination suggests that hell is a certainty for some from the moment of birth
we are not truly free beings
optimistic
gods grace is totally given to undeserving humanity
jesus died on the cross to save humans from sin - he redeemed humans - paid the price for their sinful nature
the church exists to help christians on their journey starting with the important moment of baptism that keeps the wounds of original sin closed
faith exists as a way to point people in the direction of the summum bonum
analysing
Augustine
human nature - human nature is damaged by the fall - it is sinful
sin - humans are incapable of avoiding sin - the will is now such that it has a tendency away from goodness
guilt and original sin - adams sin affects all people - the fall transmits guilt to the whole human race - human beings are sinful at birth
death - death is the consequence and punishment for sin
Pelagius
human nature - humans cant have a flawed nature - if we did then god would be commanding the impossible when he asks humans to be holy
sin - humans do not have to sin - it is theoretically possible for people to be good - sin can only be sin if it is freely chosen - it must be possible for humans to live the perfect life without gods intervention
guilt and original sin - we are all created in the same state as adam - we are only responsible for our own sin - we become sinners not at birth but when we choose to sin
death - death is a biological necessity but not a punishment
the fall as symbolic
for many christians the fall symbolises the state of humanity
contradictions of genesis = big bang and evolution
most christians find key truths in genesis such as that god is responsible for the universe and life which he created with order - that humans have a special role on the planet and they used their free will to reject what theyd be given thus alienating themselves from god
genesis account illustrates the first act of sin that all humans inevitably make at some point in their lives - if this is the case then original sin is not passed on but sinfulness can be seen as something common to humans which would affect human societies - each human individual therefore needs gods grace to overcome this essential aspect of human nature