AURELIUS AUGUSTINE

(354-430)

Aurelius Augustine, sainted, was born in Tagasta (North Africa, Algeria) in a poor family of a Roman official. Mother, whom he passionately loved, was a Christian.

Received a good education in ritorskoy school in Carthage, Aurelius carried away by the philosophy and . . . carnal pleasures. But soon his intellectual interests began to dominate. From 375 onwards, he taught rhetoric in Carthage, and after 8 years - in Italy, in Mediolane (Milan). Here met the bishop Ambrose, studying the New Testament, imbued with the Christian worldview.

In the year 387, was baptized. Returning to Africa, became a priest, and with 396 years - the bishop of Hippo. Lived modestly, preferring spiritual benefits, but not material. Posted 93 treatise (232 books) and about 500 letters and sermons. The most famous of his "Confessions. God as the source and destination of human judgments and actions without ceasing is the focus of his philosophical works, although this does not exhaust their content. For example, he believed that faith was largely determined by the ignorance ( "We also believe if we can not comprehend"), as well as the notion of a miracle (A miracle is not contrary to nature, and how we know nature "). In his spiritual development, he described the most important stage of human evolution: the transition from the age of reason and the priority of wealth to the epoch of belief, and orientation to the highest ideals.

The strongest influence it had on the dialogue of Cicero, Hortensius′ (not extant). Later, Augustine became a follower of the teachings of Plato and his later follower of Plotinus. The next step was the fascination Manichean heresy. He experienced and destructive skepticism, doubting that the world in general is the highest truth. After all the "intellectual temptations" and search for the truth has come to Christianity, his work entered the golden fund of Patristics.

Photo — «Aurelius Augustine»

One of the features of Augustine as a thinker - ability gazed at himself, reflect on the movement of the soul. This allowed him not just philosophize cold reason, but to think with all the passion, intense spiritual forces, with a genuine inspiration.

At the heart of the religious philosophy of St. Augustine - the desire to understand the highest truths, the fundamental principle of the Universe, as well as himself. In "Monologue" he was talking with Reason. When asked what he wants to know, Augustine says:

- I want to know God and the soul.

- And more than anything? - Asked the Mind.

- Absolutely nothing.

It would seem that the knowledge of God - the manager and creator of the universe embraces all things, including humans. However, Augustine separates the inner world of man - the microcosm. This is explained by the fact that the teachings of Augustine, God gave man free will. The inner world of man inconceivably complex, like the Universe. Augustine wrote: "There is something in man, he does not know and the spirit of man, who lives in it. "

Augustine can be considered one of the geniuses of self-knowledge. This is a great art has helped him better understand other people, and the essence of philosophy, and some of the features of the surrounding world. He took the next step of the ancient covenant "know thyself. " That means - is striving towards the higher, overcome their lowly nature for the greater good - the trinity of truth, goodness and beauty, held together by love.

His teaching was not coherent and consistent. After all life is developing and there is just so - in the struggles, contradictions, incomprehensible to the simple logic circuit complexity. No wonder he thought Augustine: "The Supreme God . . . better understanding of ignorance. " At the same time, he was far from the glorification of ignorance. His principle - "I believe, to understand.

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However, it is fully aware of the limitations of human reason and the need - outside the knowledge, reason, logic - sometimes rely on feelings, intuition, inspiration.

His first major works ( "Against the Academicians," "On the blessed life", "On the order"), he wrote, not yet baptized, as a result of free philosophical discussions with friends. Academicians he calls the skeptics who, through a logical tricks, sophistry, deny the very possibility of comprehending the truth, prove the futility of searching for her. Contrary to these findings, Augustine brilliantly uses the weapon of enemies - the logic. He reasoned thus: "The allegation that it is impossible to know the truth, fundamentally contradictory. If it is true, is thereby refuted the impossibility of knowing the truth, for the approval of the skeptics will be the absolute truth. "

Augustine was not inclined to mindlessly repeat any authoritative utterance, even hallowed names of Biblical prophets. Faith in the authority - he wrote - rather reduces it and does not require much effort, it is necessary "for the benefit of the simplest . . . more stupid or busy cares of life "," if they are too lazy, or linked to other occupations, or are unable to science, let them believe. "

In his view, a person has an urgent need for understanding of life. "The soul is fed nothing but a mind of things and knowledge", however, all that he wrote in his earlier writings. But the man, the more wise and honest, never renounces himself, his own beliefs and seriously thought-out ideas. Although of course he can go further in the intellectual quests and discoveries.

A journey of self-Aurelius Augustine, introduced in "Confessions" and religious philosophy - in treatises on the Trinity, " Monologues "," City of God ". His arguments move freely from one object to another.

In particular, he developed the excellent problem of time. Augustine wrote: "The right not to call time - past, future, present, and say:" this past " present, present and future now. "Some three times those I do not see anywhere else, except in soul.

Problem of theodicy Augustine also successfully dealt with - to take any responsibility for the evil of the Creator, is present in the world. According to Augustine, God represents perfection, goodness and order; His ideas are great, however, embodied in material form, may have some flaws. Unlike the people of God, endowed with free will, are often the bearers of evil, for which they are responsible for yourself.

Being a witness to the collapse of the Roman Empire, he denied the charges against the Christians for undermining its religious foundations, and laid the blame on the spiritual degradation of its citizens, their pursuit of ignoble pleasures. "When people live in person, not God, he is like a devil" - claimed Augustine. That is why a well-deserved punishment befalls the impious.

Augustine assumes constant opposition to the "two castles - the heavenly and earthly, sublime and profane, light and dark, divine and satanic. People having the freedom to choose, flock to God or the devil. But all this is being accomplished in the world that is predicated on God′s grace.

A logical absurdity: good and evil, contrary to their nature, are combined in the well. Augustine admitted violation of the rules of logical reasoning in this thesis, but claimed that in real life, such contradictions are natural, the laws of formal logic are not absolute and sometimes contradicted life. (In science, the XX century established a similar principle of "subsidiarity", implying the ability to combine in one of two mutually exclusive phenomenon began, for example in microcosm the photon has the properties and the waves and particles.

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Recognizing the priority of will and faith to knowledge and intellect, he strove to overcome their apparent incompatibility - "Reason to believe he could, believe it to be understood. However, true knowledge is impossible without the inspiration, because only then was called something sublime, exceeding power of human reason, are attached to the divine truth.

World Vision of St. Augustine, who has reached adulthood, was permeated with the idea of God. Philosophy was assigned to an auxiliary role - Church of Christ recognized the embodiment of the castle of heaven, while the state - the earth. The righteous who seek to live according to God, contrasted with the sinners, who live "in person" and thus plunges into Satanism.

Easy to notice that in some of his views are actively oppose evil good, and in the universe, created an all-merciful, omnipotent, omniscient God, there is the devil′s earthly possessions. This division, according to V. Windelband and some other philosophers, indicates that Augustine did not quite abandoned by his youthful inclinations to Manichaeism.

It is perhaps not so strange for a mature and original thinker Student attachment to a certain concept. Is far more important honesty, sincerity spiritual quest Augustine. He could not withdraw from the truth just because it does not fit into the Procrustean bed of a speculative scheme.

When we consider the intellectual achievements of the great thinker, should take into account the whole of his spiritual experience, all of creation, not just the most recent or consistent. Often it is the contradictions emphasize the creative nature of quests, and early works vividly reflect the romance of searches.

So, Augustine - an integral identity. His work exists in the same "eternal present", which, he wrote. It connects all manifestations of life, and Augustine, and us, and those who appear on earth after our departure.