Socrates Essay

Socrates Essay

Introduction to Philosophy

Laura Templeman

February 1, 2013

Stephanie Dunn

Augustine is regarded as the most influential Christian writer outside of the Bible. He shares his great spiritual autobiography through events narrated from his journey in The Confessions. Augustine makes his life transparent to the reader, the sins in his past and his road towards repentance. Augustine’s thoughtful life is presented through different angles: an intellectual angle, an emotional angle, and a religious angle.

Augustine as a young man was a heretic. He was studying a high level of rhetoric, oratory, and literature where he began to pursue worldly pleasures. Augustine talks about his wayward soul on his journey back to finding God. He tries to make his story relatable to all who are seeking God after having fallen off the straight path. He does his best to show a picture of his soul. He gives us a picture of his mind in search for the ultimate truth. Augustine’s life in philosophy began when he was nineteen when he encountered with the book Hortensius by Cicero. Augustine came across Cicero’s work because of his educational emphasis in rhetoric, which was immensely important as a form of power to be able to persuade people to think a desired way. His rhetorical training was part of his worldly ambition, as Augustine reflects back on his youthful desires.

Augustine expounded his arguments against skepticism in his dialogue Contra Academicos. In Book I, Augustine wrote of the wise man as being the only one who is happy, and from this premise postulated as to the nature of happiness – is it from seeking truth, or in the end result of finding it? In Book II, Augustine outlined the main view of the skeptics, and the assertion that nothing is ever known. From here, also into Book III, Augustine puts forwards his arguments against this position. He attempted to illuminate contradictions within the opinion expressed by the skeptics. One of the arguments...