St. Augustines important philosophical contributions to...

St. Augustine made some very important philosophical contributions to defend the philosophy of Christianity. One of these contributions concerned the philosophical problem of evil. Up until St. Augustines time, philosophers questioned the idea proposed by Christians that evil generated in a world created by a perfectly good God. The problem is easy enough to understand, yet slightly more complicated to solve. St. Augustine raised some fairly good propositions to offer an explanation for this question. Although the problem of evil has been answered for the most part, there are still many who disbelieve St. Augustines interpretation of the dispute. To me, this is in good reason; the problem of evil is inherent to understanding the big†¦show more content†¦Depression, to me, is one the most obvious signs of moral evil; I see depression as being the result of misdirection and heading away from the direction God is leading you to be on. For instance, the blind pursuit of money is one of the quickest ways to the state of depression. I think this is a very good example of what Augustine is referring to when he talks about misdirected love. As I said before, I believe that you come to love what you strive for, and in the pursuit of money, you develop a love for it. This love for money is obviously not a direction in which God intends us to pursue, and as a result, moral evil - or moral wrongdoing - will ensue. I personally believe that to pursue money and to strive for it is one of the quickest ways to realize just how empty a persons life has become without Gods direction or influence. Augustines next proposition on evil concerns the foundation of morality. Augustine believed in a Platonic idea that a basic natural law governs morality and that human behavior must conform to it. Plato had believed in a cosmic order in which this natural law exists, and Augustine believed that it was actually written in the hearts of man and is interpreted by them through their conscience. Augustine stated that this natural law consisted of the reason and will of God. This proposition is one that I see as being the most complex and difficult to interpret. ThroughShow MoreRelatedThe Life And Work Of St. Augustine2850 Words   |  12 PagesAurelius Augustinus, better known as St. Augustine of Hippo, was an African who is credited for being a founding father of church doctrine and innovator or pioneer of sorts, for Western Christianity. He was a legend before his time and possessed knowledge of The Word of God that far surpassed even today’s modern theologians. In this essay we will look at the life and work of St. Augustine of Hippo’s. First, starting with his lifespan will focus on his family, education and conversion experience.Read MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesupdated: April 26, 2016 Logical Reasoning Bradley H. Dowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright  © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: