Self-referential (or Performative) Inconsistency
Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 78:13-22 (2004)
| Abstract | Augustine was undeniably a dogmatic thinker, but he also had an “aporetic side” which makes him more relevant to Christian philosophers today than isgenerally recognized. Augustine’s first experience of reading philosophy came from Cicero’s Hortensius, from which Augustine gained an appreciation for philosophical scepticism which he never lost. Thus, in all of his works and in all periods of his life, Augustine’s characteristic way of doing philosophy is aporetic, rather than either systematic or speculative. Paradoxically, Augustine’s faith in the truth of Holy Scripture and Church Doctrine gave him a freedom to explore theological and philosophical conundra and, if he could not resolve them, admit frankly that he could not do so. Like Socrates, Augustine was wise partly because he admitted to being puzzled about things that others took for granted. Some of the perplexities which occupied him are: (a) the nature of time; (b) whether it is possible to show someone (without using words) what walking is if one is already walking; (c) whether one is responsible for what one does in one’s dreams; (d) whether one can think about sadness or pleasure by having an image of it in one’s mind, but without experiencing any sadness or pleasure in the thought, and (e) (perhaps most famously, in the Confessions) how one can want something that he does not believe to be good | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,705 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesG. Matthews (2004). The Aporetic Augustine. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 78:23-39.
G. R. Evans (1982). Augustine on Evil. Cambridge University Press.
R. A. Markus (1972). Augustine; a Collection of Critical Essays. Garden City, N.Y.,Anchor Books.
Mary T. Clark (2005). De Trinitate. In The Cambridge Companion to Augustine. Cambridge Univ Pr.
Sean J. McGrath (2008). Alternative Confessions, Conflicting Faiths: A Review of the Influence of Augustine on Heidegger. [REVIEW] American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 82 (2):317-335.
Craig J. N. de Paulo (2003). The Augustinian Constitution of Heidegger's Being and Time. American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 77 (4):549-568.
Rowan A. Greer (1996). Augustine's Transformation of the Free Will Defence. Faith and Philosophy 13 (4):471-486.
Dan D. Crawford (1988). Intellect and Will in Augustine's Confessions. Religious Studies 24 (3):291 - 302.
Daniel J. Kirchner (2010). Augustine's Use of Epicureanism. International Philosophical Quarterly 50 (2):183-200.
Scott MacDonald (forthcoming). Reading Scripture Philosophically: Augustine on 'God Made Heaven and Earth'. In WIlliam E. Mann Gareth B. Matthews (ed.), God and Mind in Augustine's Confessions. Oxford University Press.
Vance G. Morgan (1994). Foreknowledge and Human Freedom in Augustine. Journal of Philosophical Research 19:223-242.
Paul Helm (2003). Augustine's Griefs. Faith and Philosophy 20 (4):448-459.
Paul Helm (2003). Augustine's Griefs. Faith and Philosophy 20 (4):448-459.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-12-01Total downloads7 ( #133,587 of 549,510 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,397 of 549,510 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
