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12. Augustine the Blessed and the theological foundation of morality
The idea of subordinating morality to religion is very clearly reflected in the work of Augustine of the Blessed (354-430). He is considered one of the most significant representatives of the era of patristics. The ethics of the thinker is characterized by the realization of God as the only source and measure of morality, the explanation of evil as the denial of goodness and deviation from divine prescriptions, a negative attitude towards human activity and the denial of the moral full value of the individual.
In his work, a significant role is played by the comprehension of each of the divine commandments in their relation to the world, which is closely connected with ethics. Augustine's treatises "On Free Will", "On the City of God", "On Grace and Free Will", "Confession" are devoted to ethical problems. According to the teachings of Augustine, a Christian performs every act, thinking about the act of confession.
This influences the moral consciousness of a person, makes him determined not only by the past, but also by the future, already present in the eternity of retribution: punishment or bliss.
But at the same time, this act is completely free, since in it life ends only mentally, life is still ahead, and by performing this or that act now, a person chooses both his future and his eternity.
Augustine the Blessed developed the doctrine of the will, which became pivotal in the Middle Ages, since it contains the ontological proof of the existence of God. In the work "On the City of God" the thinker defines the will as nature, which is the "spirit of life."
This is the life-giving spirit, says Augustine, "the creator of every body and the spirit of every creature is God himself, a spirit uncreated in all respects." Will, in his opinion, confirms precisely the relation in which it acquires its essence and quality.
In Augustine, the idea of predestination is closely connected with the idea of foreknowledge (forecast), it is proved by him in close connection with the idea of free will. Predestination and fate are different concepts.
Wisdom is the knowledge that makes the philosopher happy. At the same time, his soul goes through a series of steps before reaching wisdom. These steps are first fear, then piety, and then knowledge (its difference from wisdom is that it can not necessarily be directed to the good).
The soul, having reached the limit of blessed knowledge, perceives illumination, which contributes to the emergence of moral consciousness, or conscience. It is the basis that gives a universally necessary character to human ideas. Thus, conscience is the agreement of divine law and human moral attitudes. Morality is the index of a certain kind of being.
A person can be free from evil, and, accordingly, from the problem of choosing between good and evil. In this case, he can be gracious, use not free will, but the gifts of God.
Discussion of the ideas of predestination, fate, free will, good became common for the entire Middle Ages.
Author: Zubanova S.G.
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