Augustine and the Limits of VirtueCambridge University Press, 18 jun 1992 - 246 pagina's Augustine's moral psychology was one of the richest in late antiquity, and in this book James Wetzel evaluates its development, indicating that the insights offered by Augustine on free-will have been prevented from receiving full appreciation as the result of an anachronistic distinction between theology and philosophy. He shows that it has been commonplace to divide Augustine's thought into earlier and later phases, the former being more philosophically informed than the latter. Wetzel's contention is that this division is less pronounced than it has been made out to be. The author shows that, while Augustine clearly acknowledges his differences with philosophy, he never loses his fascination with the Stoic concepts of happiness and virtue, and of the possibility of their attainment by human beings. This fascination is seen by Wetzel to extend to Augustine's writings on grace, where freedom and happiness are viewed as a recovery of virtue. The notorious dismissal of pagan virtue in 'The City of God' is part of Augustine's family quarrel with philosophers, not a rejection of philosophy per se. Augustine the theologian is thus seen to be a Platonist philosopher with a keen sense of the psychology of moral struggle. |
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action affections Augus Augustine of Hippo Augustine's Augustine's theology augustiniennes autarky autem autonomy beata vita beatific beatitude calling CCSL 27 Christian Colish conception Conf Confessiones consent context conversion critique desires distentio divine doctrine duabus animabus duas ep election enim eternal ethics evil Evodius exegesis Expositio fails flesh Frankfurt free choice freedom God's grace habit happiness higher-order volitions human Ibid ideal intelligibility internal conflict interpretation involuntary involuntary sin invulnerability John Burnaby judgment Julian libero arbitrio Manichaean Manichees measure metaphysics mind mind's moral agency moral psychology motivation move nature Neoplatonic ourselves pagan philosophy passion past Paul Paul's Pelagian theology Pelagius perspective perverse Platonic Platonists present Propp question quod reason recollection represent representation response Romans sage Saint Augustin self-determination Simplicianum sins soul spirit spiritu et littera Stoic Stoicism suggests temporal theodicy things time's University Press uoluntate virtue volitions voluntary wisdom