The, By Plato And St. Augustine - 1327 Words

Symposium and Confession describe instances of individuals ascending to a higher level of knowledge only obtained by a select few. Both ascents, written by Plato and St. Augustine, share similar stages, showing how the act of loving beautiful bodies morphs into the love of the soul of another human, which transforms into a love of knowledge, and finally culminates in an enlightened state. However, Augustine’s ascent illustrates how Platonists fail to realize their rise places too much value in loving another human and sees beauty as its own form, instead of a representation of a higher power. Platonists miss the crucial understanding that their advancement to enlightenment only leads to an analogical representation of a greater force, namely, God. The first stage of both ascents requires the loving of beautiful things, specifically beautiful bodies. Augustine begins his ascent saying he approves of the beauty of bodies, whether they are â€Å"celestial or terrestrial† ( Conf. 7.23) even though this is an â€Å"unqualified judgement† (Conf. 7.23). He believes he is not fit to place these judgements on others and ascertains that he cannot even explain why he finds particular bodies beautiful. In the same way, the first step in the ascent described by Socrates is for a man to â€Å"devote himself to beautiful bodies† (Symp. 210B). Socrates is encouraged to love another man for his beauty to begin the ascent of Ä“ros (love). As Augustine continues to examine his judgements on beauty, heShow MoreRelatedPlato And St. Augustine1090 Words   |  5 Pages Plato suggested that values such as justice and right conduct are absolute and beyond the realm of subjective viewpoints. One of his arguments against moral relativism is that it is logically unsound. Plato proposed a multi-layered existence. There is the world of sensory perception, which includes the physical realities of existence. Plato argued for a higher level of being that he understood as a world of forms, ideas or concepts. Plato argued that conduct comes from a reference to this worldRead MoreRelationship between St Augustine and Plato1773 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween St. Augustine and Plato Great philosophers over time have shared ideas about their lifetime. There were no more captivating philosophers than Plato and Augustine who fed off one another. Even though they were born at different times, their ideas impacted the life they lived in and future lives. St. Augustine was a student of the wise Plato, who fed off his ideas and created his own form of philosophy. Plato on the other hand orbited the idea of the theory of forms which, later St. AugustineRead MoreSt. Augustine as the True Heir of Plato Essay1144 Words   |  5 PagesAristotle and St. Augustine have both been influenced by Plato. Their philosophy on morality, politics, and the purpose of life has been platonically influenced. St. Augustine is the true heir of Plato because he has taken Plato’s ideal state, and revealed the implications of the lives that the citizens of the earthly city lead, in the City of God. Plato’s state is an ideal state, that would not function in reality. St. Augusti ne has taken Plato’s notions, and have furthered the implications of livingRead MoreSt. Augustine Accepts Platonic Concept Essay771 Words   |  4 PagesSt. Augustine was a Christian Platonist. He Christianizes many of Plato’s Greek concepts. In Confessions, St. Augustine used many Neo-plationic terms and ideas but in Book VII is when he finally has a revelation about the similarities of Philosophy and Christianity. In class, we have discussed a number of ways in which St. Augustine accepts the ideas of Plato; one of those being the theory of forms. Plato’s theory of forms describes the divine to be in the invisible, perfect, intangible world. StRead MoreEssay on St. Augustines View of Evil1070 Words   |  5 PagesChristians since the time of St. Augustine of Hippo. In The Confessions of St. Augustine, he initiates this premise and argues in its favor. Discourse about evil is based on the Christian theological teachings of the omniscience, omnipotence, and perfect benevolence of God as well as the understanding that evil is present in this world. Since these four concepts are contradictory, one of them must be rejected. Thus, St. Augustine argues that evil does not exist. I find St. Augustine’s explanationRead MoreGood And Evil : Good Or Evil?928 Words   |  4 Pagespunishment, why would God be attacking the churches and the good people of Lisbon rather than the prostitutes? The people could not stand to think that their God would do such a thing, so the idea was dismissed altogether. Long before the earthquake, Plato proposed another idea as to what evil is. Plato’s idea was based on the fact that the Demiurge, or God, had molds for things like flowers, and birds, and even humans. The Demiurge would take the chaos in the universe and pour it into these molds, givingRead MoreThe Contributions of St. Augustine and Brigid of Kildare to Christianity1003 Words   |  5 PagesThe Contributions of St. Augustine and Brigid of Kildare to Christianity St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were two very influential people in the church during the fourth and fifth centuries. St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were most famous for the monasteries that they founded. Both St. Augustine and Bridgid were devout Christians who contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity. Both of these people encouraged the spread of Christianity, the belief in a life of solitude, andRead More Christianity According to St. Augustine and Machiavelli Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pages In St. Augustine’s book entitled Political Writings, one could see that Christianity plays a very important role in his view of politics. His opinion on the morality or lack of morality in politics, to me makes it more evident that Christianity persuades his views. Although it seems his writings have become quite well known and admired, not everyone fully shared his beliefs. Niccolo Machiavelli, for instance, seemed to believe in a government that was not driven by morality, but more by practicalityRead MoreSt. Augustines important philosophical contributions to defend the philosophy of Christianity.1709 Words   |  7 PagesSt. 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 questionRead MoreAristotle And St. Augustine846 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle and St. Augustine both wrote philosophical works in order to teach us something that they have learned, in hopes that we will apply it to our own lives. However, Augustine uses a type of autobiographical style in addition to treatise in his works, while A ristotle only uses the treatise style in his works.What were they both thinking when they were writing these famous works? Did they use their respective styles to achieve a goal? Both authors used their work to teach lessons in a way