Skip to main content

Augustine vs Epicurus~ Logan Turner

 A quote that stuck with me was this one from book VII: "And to Thee is nothing whatsoever evil." A short snippet of a long quote, but in short, Augustine is claiming that there is no evil in the world, because to God, everything has a purpose rooted in good. What I find interesting though, is how it proposes as solution to the Epicurean riddle. Because there is nothing evil in the world in God's eyes, there is no need to eliminate evil, because again, it does not even exist in the first place. It cleanly removes any of the difficulty from the riddle and causes it to no longer be a riddle. I just thought it was interesting how Augustine was able to solve a riddle that philosophers have been struggling with for centuries with relative ease. Of course, not everybody agrees with Augustine because the riddle is still pondered and taught today, but I believe he effectively puts the riddle to rest.


Edit: Commented on Isabelle Ferguson's and Brooke Hutcheson's posts

Comments

  1. Micah PowersFebruary 2, 2021 at 9:27 AM

    I love how Augustine in seeking to grow closer to God simply solves the worlds deepest questions so to speak. It definitely reflects biblical truth in the "seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." Augustine focuses first on his relationship with God and he ends up growing more in mental capability and understanding.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aristotle Might Not Like Me...Or Jesus//Haylee Lynd

      Aristotle says that the man who does not get angry at the things he should be angry at "is thought unlikely to defend himself; and to endure being insulted and put up with insult to one's friends is slavish" (Aristotle 41). While he states that passivity is preferred to excessive anger, he still gives great criticism to it.  In contrast to Aristotle, the man who Christians believe to be the most just is Jesus who states in Matthew 5:39-40, "...do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well." Essentially, arguing that one is not to respond in anger when insulted or hurt, to not defend one's self. Most individual's are unable to achieve this. Our natural instinct is to defend ourselves, especially in physical cases. However, Christians strive to be like Jesus in this way. I would also argue that it is a very admirable wa...
2 comments
Read more

Oedipus’ Children/Siblings—Lily Caswell

Ok, so Oedipus is a bit of a train wreck to say the least. I love the fact that even after Oedipus found out about his less-than-appealing relationship with his mother, he still tried to look after his children/siblings. After he gouged his eyes out, his children came to him at which point Oedipus talked about how that when they were old enough to marry, no one would want them due to them being products of incest. He said for the people not to condemn them based on what their father had done. Even after he knew what he had done and what his children were, he still wanted the best for them. I commented on Logan’s and Ian’s posts.
3 comments
Read more

A Man with Self-Control? - Clabo

Throughout all of the ancient epics, the Aeneid has always been my favorite. I have always found Aeneas to be a virtuous warrior, and I was even reminded of this fact within the first three books. The main point that stands out to me is when Aeneas sees Helen hiding during the fall of Troy. He is overcome with anger and wants to kill her because she is one of the main reasons that the war started in the first place. However, he is patient and listens to his mother, Venus, and just decides to leave. I feel that if Achilles was placed in that same position, a goddess would not have even had the time to approach him before he had already killed her. Another thing that find impressive in Aeneas's character is the fact that is always slow to act whether it be in listening to the gods advice or even letting a Greek straggler on to his ship. Aeneas, to me, is the perfect example of a man who pursues virtue instead of glory.   This is just my opinion. What are your thoughts? P.S. I co...
6 comments
Read more