Contemporary Approach to Augustine’s Ontology and Ethics

Many commentators have expressed varying opinions on Augustine's philosophies on ontology and ethics. The theorist developed a new line of reasoning in response to diverse questions regarding the nature of good and bad, as well as the question of whether God exists as the supreme creator. In his works, Augustine invents new praises and draws assumptions that aim to elevate God as the supreme being in the hierarchy of beings. With other philosophers, the issue of whether God created evil or whether the Supreme Being created the victims of evil remains a contemporary one, especially in light of the rise of atheistic thought. Hence, Augustine presents himself as a savior to many Christian thinkers who feel challenged to justify the triumph of God in the face of all the diversities in the world. Apparently, Augustine demonstrates that God did not create evil While seeking to trace the origin of evil, Augustine deconstructs the notion that God created all things, one thing being evil and thus reaching a conclusion that God is that author of the devouring evil. In other words, the argument blames God for the wrongs that consume the society. As a result, he changed the premise by disputing that evil is not a thing and that it does not demand creating. But how did he arrive at this? He starts by asking if there is a good God and by getting an affirmative answer, he insinuates that there is no way that a good creator can make something evil. In other words, even if evil exists, then it is not the creation of God. It follows that the thinker starts by the premise that all the good was created by God and since evil is not good, then it ceases being a God’s creation or rather not a thing. Consequently, the dismissal of evil as not being a thing raises the question of ontology. Thus for the philosopher, anything that has the positive value of being good exists and vice versa applies. Observably, the philosopher poses that there is nothing good with evil but it is a consequence of the loss of good. He explains that evil hurts and the hurt emanates from a denial of good. Hence, if denial was nonexistent, then there would be no hurt. Accordingly, Augustine equates the materialistic property of good to evil and regards it as nothingness. Therefore, one does not choose evil because it does not exist. The evil comes as a result of a person choosing something that is of lesser good. Basically, evil comes as a perversion of good. Ideally, Augustine advocated for the greatest good as he argues that the evil exists because of our perception. Evidently, he cites virtues such as mercy, courage, patience, and forgiveness among others as in existence because of the character elements. If there were no such virtues, perhaps, Augustine indicates, there would be nothingness because evil does not exist. While commenting on the essence of the motive of the action rather than the consequence, Augustine asserts that it is the drive to kill that is wrong and not the killing itself. Further, he argues that God has the power of averting any tragedy but he chooses not to at times. In other words, moral freedom is the ultimate determinant of what is good. He gives an example of the soldiers who are forced to end lives of the supposed enemies. Their motives, he argues, are not to kill but to bring an end to something. The soldiers fighting in war desire to have peace for their country. Therefore, you cannot charge them by the number of deaths caused by their guns but by what they seek to achieve. In essence, Augustine focuses on the aspect of free will where he demonstrates that if people would do as they prefer, then there will be good at all times. Plenitude, he suggests, comes as a result of a positive decision making and brings positive values. But does that mean that God has allowed evil to triumph? Accordingly, the thinker argues that the level of goodness does not conflict with plenitude, or rather the highest level of good. By extension, the philosopher alludes to the message in the bible where he calls for love for one’s neighbor. He explains that love means that you should not hurt your neighbor. Therefore, categorical intention is the genesis of sin according to Augustine. He states that when one receives an evil intention or take pleasure in the thought of committing the act or accepting to do an act explains whether there is sin. It is a psychological approach where one envisions an act that translates to the act imagined. For example, he argues that chastity is a virtue of the mind. Hence, it is not by rape but rather by intention. At the same time, the evilness of an action is not based on whether the action was directed to a bad object. He gives an example of a greedy of gold where he explains that the object (gold) is not evil but the desire for the object. Works CitedTop of Form Augustine, , and John E. Rotelle. Prayers from the Confessions. Hyde Park, N.Y: New City Press, 2003. Print. Independent. “Egypt mosque attack: Death toll rises to 235, the deadliest terrorist atrocity in the country's modern history.” Independent, November 25 2017, p.1. Sharman, Jon. “Man arrested in Lancashire following counter-terrorism raid.” The guardian, 22 November 2017, p.1. Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form

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