Is Augustine’s view of human nature pessimistic or optimistic? Flashcards
(12 cards)
Introduction
- Define human nature
- Explain the question
- Contextualise Augustines view
- Overview of essay structure
• Define human nature: innate dispositions humans are born with, independent of culture or socialisation.
• Explain the question: Does such a nature exist, and if so, is Augustine’s view of it ultimately pessimistic (negative, bleak) or optimistic (positive, hopeful)?
Contextualise Augustine’s view:
• Augustine argues for a real human nature corrupted by original sin.
• This view originates from his meditation on the problem of sin and its source—humans have a natural predisposition to sin.
• He traces this to The Fall of Adam and Eve as narrated in Genesis.
Overview of essay structure:
• Body paragraph 1: Augustine’s view in detail (pessimistic elements)
• Body paragraph 2: Evaluations, alternative perspectives (optimistic critiques and defences)
•Conclusion with a line of argument answering the question.
Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 1: Augustine’s View of Human Nature — A Fundamentally Pessimistic Outlook
Body Paragraph 1: Augustine’s View of Human Nature — A Fundamentally Pessimistic Outlook
Original sin and the Fall
Original Sin and The Fall:
• Humanity inherited a corrupted nature from Adam and Eve’s disobedience.
• Before the Fall, humans (Adam and Eve) had perfect rational control; sex was purely rational, without lust.
• After the Fall, humans suffer concupiscence (bodily desires overpower reason, especially sexual desire).
• Augustine’s biological view: all humans were “seminally present in Adam’s loins,” thus inheriting the corrupted nature, becoming massa damnata (mass of the damned).
Cupiditas vs Caritas:
• The human will is based on love.
• Cupiditas: Selfish, earthly, fleeting love, leading to ignorance and unhappiness.
• Caritas: Selfless, divine love (agape), rooted in God’s will.
• Due to original sin, humans are naturally inclined toward cupiditas, which is an unhappy, selfish state.
Exclusivism, Grace, Predestination, and Limited Election:
• Humans are so corrupted they cannot achieve salvation by their own efforts.
• Salvation depends solely on God’s undeserved grace.
• Predestination means some are chosen (the elect) for salvation; others are damned due to original sin.
• This paints a bleak picture: humanity is powerless, fallen, and largely condemned without divine intervention.
Body Paragraph 1: Augustine’s View of Human Nature — A Fundamentally Pessimistic Outlook
Pessimistic implications (4)
• Human nature is intrinsically flawed and morally depraved.
• Free will is severely limited or disabled without grace.
• There is an inevitability of sin and damnation for most.
• God’s justice and grace are inscrutable and can seem harsh.
Body Paragraph 1: Augustine’s View of Human Nature — A Fundamentally Pessimistic Outlook
Evaluation
• The idea that original sin corrupts all humans and predisposes them irresistibly to evil seems deeply pessimistic about human moral capacity.
• Augustine’s view could lead to fatalism or despair without God’s grace.
• The doctrine of double predestination may seem unjust or incompatible with an omnibenevolent God.
• Augustine’s biological assumptions (homunculus theory) are scientifically false, undermining his literal claims about transmission of sin.
Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
Empirical and Philosophical Defences:
Augustine’s observations (e.g., his pear-stealing anecdote) show a real tendency to sin in human nature, not merely cultural influence.
Thinkers like G.K. Chesterton and Reinhold Niebuhr argue original sin is empirically verifiable—human beings are flawed in ways not explained by social conditioning alone.
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
Pelagius’ Objection – Optimistic View of Human Nature:
• Human sinfulness reflects socialisation and bad habits, not an innate corrupted nature.
• Humans are born morally neutral and have free will to choose good or evil.
• The Bible’s commands to be morally good imply humans can obey without irresistible sinfulness.
• Moral progress (e.g., decreasing violence, rights movements) suggests human nature is capable of improvement.
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
Augustine’s Reply to Pelagius:
• Humans can do good only through God’s grace, not by unaided free will.
• Scripture supports this: “God works in you to will and to act” (Philippians 2:13).
Love (caritas) is a divine gift, without which true goodness is impossible.
• This view is optimistic in that salvation and moral goodness are possible—just not by human effort alone.
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
Grace and Hope:
• While humans are fallen, God’s grace offers hope and transformation.
• The presence of caritas means there is a capacity for love and goodness beyond natural human weakness.
• Augustine’s emphasis on grace can be seen as an optimistic trust in God’s power to redeem.
Body Paragraph 2: Evaluations and Counterpoints — Is Augustine’s View Ultimately Optimistic?
• Further Evaluation:
• Augustine’s view may be pessimistic about natural human nature but optimistic about what God can accomplish through grace.
• The inscrutability of divine justice can be a problem but can also be accepted as humility before divine mystery.
Critics argue Augustine underestimates human moral agency and overemphasizes predestination.
• Contemporary scientific and historical evidence challenges the literal Fall and the pessimistic anthropology derived from it.
Conclusion and Line of Argument
• Augustine’s view of human nature is fundamentally pessimistic about humans by nature: fallen, corrupted, and prone to sin, powerless to save themselves.
• However, his theology contains an underlying optimism grounded in God’s grace, which can redeem, transform, and save.
Thus, Augustine’s anthropology is complex:
• Pessimistic about the natural human condition,
• but optimistic about the potential for divine redemption.
The question of optimism vs pessimism depends on the perspective:
• From a purely naturalistic human perspective—pessimistic.
• From a theological perspective that includes grace—optimistic.
• This nuanced position reflects Augustine’s broader theological concern: human nature is deeply flawed but not hopeless.
• Therefore, Augustine’s view can be best understood as a qualified pessimism with a hopeful, grace-centered optimism.
