Augustine and Free Will. Social Sciences Assignment

Augustine and Free will
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Augustine and Free will
Augustine lived towards the end of classical society, and his doctrine had a significant impact on Christianity and western philosophy during the middle ages. Augustine disputes that God is the root of evil. He believes God is an almighty, all-powerful being who is the source of good in the universe. He relates the origin of evil to the freedom of will and states that God created free will. This ability and power allow a man to make their own choices, whether good or evil. Augustine also lays importance to God's salvation, believing it is a means of liberating humanity (Stump, 2001). Humans are responsible for their freedom of the will because it will determine God's salvation.
The theory of free will is a core concept which influences various teachings in Christianity. Augustine argued that free will is not an absolute good. Instead, he equates it to a middle good since a man may use it to cause good or bad outcomes. To Augustine, free will is imperfect and is the reason for humanity's disobedience. He further believed that this flawed human nature had alienated men from their creator. Man had lost the power and ability to turn to their creator (Stump, 2001). This school of thought disagreed with other doctrines, which claimed that humans misused their free will because of ignorance.
Augustine argued that Scriptural teachings formed a basis for analyzing political thoughts. He used the doctrine to explain the moral and social evils in the world. A man was created to live for eternity in a perfectly created moral order. However, this purpose was disrupted by Adam and the Devil's sinful act of disobedience. Man inherited sin from Adam’s original sin. Augustine explains that this sinful inclination is the cause of greed, pride, and selfishness in the political world today. One fundamental question raised by these ideologies is how a man can pursue righteousness in an immoral, selfish, and evil society while waiting for their heavenly reward. This Christian thought helps justify the existence of the state. God allows the existence of the state as a temporary remedy for the fall of man. It also acts as a form of punishment for men through the violence, coercion, slavery, and deaths caused by states. Augustine argues that God uses the state to moderate evil in the world (Augustine, 1994). The state can maintain peace and order in society, which allows man to do good deeds.
The fall of man led Augustine to view the world as a mixture of two distinct cities: the city of Man and the city of God. These two cities differ in various moral and social aspects. The city of man or earthly city is marked by unrepentant descendants of Adam and Eve who choose to use their free will to do evil. It is dominated by ungodly qualities such as greed, envy, and selfishness that lead to endless chaos. The city of man aims to rival God and reject his authority. This city belongs to the evil angels or demons who chose to use their free will to question God's kingdom. The citizens of the city of man face eternal destruction when the judgment day arrives. They h...