Abstract of PhD Thesis by Vu Thi Hai

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

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VU THI HAI

 

 

PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT

BY AUGUSTINO

  

Specialization: CNDVBC & CNDVLS

Code: 62 22 03 02

 

ABSTRACT OF THE DOCTORAL THESIS IN PHILOSOPHY

 

 

HANOI - 2019

The project was completed at:

University of Social Sciences and Humanities,

Vietnam National University, Hanoi

 

Scientific supervisor: 1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Hung

                          

Counter-argument 1:

Counter-argument 2:

Counter-argument 3:

The dissertation was defended before the Doctoral Dissertation Examination Committee meeting at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi at [time] on [date] [month] [year] 20

 

 

The thesis can be found at:

- National Library of Vietnam

- Information and Library Center, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

INTRODUCTION

1. Reasons for choosingtopic

Augustine was one of the greatest thinkers of the Catholic Church, a renowned bishop revered as a saint, and an intellectual of all time. His consecrated life and intellectual stature have had a profound influence on the Catholic Church as well as on Western culture from the Middle Ages to the present day. David E. Cooper, an English scholar and philosopher, said: “It will take a long time before Christian philosophy can produce figures of approximately the stature of Augustine” [14, 148].

It can be said that one of Augustine's greatest contributions to Western thought was anthropology, and he is particularly renowned for his unique discoveries about human beings in their inner world. Augustine's subtle anthropological explorations provided practical guidance in the practice of ethics and spirituality, leading people towards true happiness. His influence on the Catholic Church in particular and Western culture in general extended beyond theory to include profound practical applications.

Over three decades since the implementation of the Doi Moi (Renovation) policy (1986), along with globalization and international integration, Vietnam has achieved tremendous successes in many fields, especially remarkable progress in the economic sector. The material living standards of the people have fundamentally improved, lifting Vietnam out of the list of the 10 poorest countries in the world in the 1990s. However, while material living standards have improved, we are witnessing a decline in morality and many aspects of the spiritual and cultural life of society. People are preoccupied with pursuing worldly desires such as power, fame, money, and status, neglecting noble human values. In this context, the study of Eastern and Western philosophy was intensified with the aim of inheriting the quintessential values ​​of humanity in the development of national culture and overcoming the decline in people's morality and lifestyle.

In this context, Christian philosophy in general, and Augustinian philosophy in particular, began to receive attention and study. Christian philosophy is a unique philosophy with its own distinct character, having a particularly profound influence on Western culture, if not contributing to the very essence of Western culture. For a long time, research on Christian philosophy in Vietnam has been quite limited, mostly concentrated in Catholic seminaries and primarily approached from a religious and theological perspective. Furthermore, in Vietnam today, there still exist some prejudices against Christian philosophy, such as the view of medieval Western European philosophy as the "Dark Ages," implying a long period in which culture and science made no progress. However, history has proven that Christian philosophy, through Christianity, has had and continues to have a profound influence on human life, particularly in shaping the values ​​and moral and spiritual practices of Westerners, and has contributed significantly to the brilliant achievements of their culture. In the context of Vietnam facing a decline in morality and lifestyle, studying Christian philosophy in general and Augustinian philosophy in particular is of practical significance both theoretically and practically.

As mentioned above, Augustine was one of the outstanding thinkers of the Catholic Church, having an extremely significant influence on the development of the Catholic Church in both theory and practice. However, current studies of Augustine's philosophy in Vietnam mostly focus on examining some of his philosophical and theological ideas in a particular field, lacking systematic monographs on this thinker. Therefore, the author of this dissertation wishes to contribute a small part to the effort to research and clarify his philosophical and theological thought, because we believe that many of his ideas remain entirely useful for improving cultural and spiritual life in Vietnam today.

For the reasons above, NCS chose the topic "The philosophical thought of AugustineI'm using this as the topic for my dissertation.

2.Purpose and objectivesof the thesis

The aim of this thesis is to present a systematic and in-depth analysis of Augustine's philosophical thought, thereby highlighting the contributions and limitations of that system of thought.

The specific tasks are as follows:

- To clarify the conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustine's philosophy.

- To research and clarify the fundamental contents of Augustine's philosophical thought, focusing on the following issues: ontology, anthropology, ethics, and epistemology.

- Analyze and evaluate the contributions and limitations of Augustine's philosophical thought.

3. Subject and scope of the thesis

The subject of this dissertation is the philosophical thought of Augustine.

Scope of the dissertation: In terms of content, focusing on the issue of humanity, the dissertation will concentrate on clarifying the fundamental contents of Augustine's philosophical thought system, namely: ontology, anthropology, epistemology, and ethics. In terms of literature, the dissertation will focus on researching the works of Augustine.Autobiography(Confessions- one of Augustine's most famous works..In addition, the thesis also uses quotations from several other works by the philosopher, such as:Monologue (Soliloquia)On the immortality of the soul (De immortalitate animae),On free will (De libero arbitrio), the Holy Trinity (De Trinitate), and the City of God (De civitate).

4. Theoretical basis and research methods

Theoretical basis: This dissertation is based on the theoretical foundations of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and the Marxist perspective in the study of the history of philosophy.

Research methodology: The author employs the main research methods of dialectical materialism, such as: moving from abstract to concrete, unifying logic and history, unifying analysis and synthesis, unifying induction and deduction, comparative method, generalization method, abstraction method, etc.

5. Contributions of the thesis

- The dissertation analyzes and clarifies the most important conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustine's philosophy.

- The dissertation systematically organized and analyzed in depth the fundamental contents of Augustine's philosophical thought, such as ontology, anthropology, ethics, and epistemology.

- The dissertation analyzed and clarified the contributions and limitations of Augustine's philosophical thought from a cultural perspective and a Marxist standpoint.

6. Theoretical and practical significance of the thesis

In theoryBased on the research tasks outlined above, this thesis contributes to a systematic and in-depth study of the philosophical thought of one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of medieval Christian philosophy.

In practical termsTherefore, this dissertation can be used as a reference for the study and teaching of Christian philosophy in particular and Western philosophy in general. In addition, the dissertation can also be used as a reference for learning and research in the fields of anthropology and religious philosophy.

7.Structure ofdissertation

Besides the introduction, conclusion, bibliography, and list of the author's published works related to the thesis, the thesis consists of 4 chapters and 10 sections.

CONTENT

CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH RELATED TO THE TOPIC "AUGUSTINO'S PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT"

1.1. Research related to the conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustine's philosophical thought.

ButSeveral domestic studies have addressed the conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustine's philosophical thought:History of thought before Marxby Tran Duc Thao (1995);Ancient Western philosophy influenced Christianity.by Phan Van Tinh(2010);On the source. The time of the Church Fathers (book two)by Phan Tan Thanh(2013).

- Several foreign studies have mentioned the conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustine's philosophical thought, such as:Philosophical storyby Bryan Magee (2003);Schools of philosophy around the worldby David E Cooper (2005);The process of transformation of Western thoughtby Richard Tarnas (2008) etc.

1.2. Research works related to the philosophical thought of Augustine

- Domestic research projects:

Some general studies on the entirety of Augustine's philosophical thought include:History of Western Philosophy. Volume II: The Middle Agesby Nguyen Trong Vien (1998),History of Western Philosophy. Volume III. Medieval Philosophyby Le Ton Nghiem (2000);Medieval Western European Philosophyby Doan Chinh and Dinh Ngoc Thach (2008);History of Western Philosophy. Volume 1: Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Renaissance Philosophyby Do Minh Hop (2014). The common point of the above works is that they have presented in a general and systematic way the most prominent ideas in Augustine's philosophy.

Among the studies on Augustine's philosophical thought, alongside general and comprehensive research, there are also works that delve deeply into specific issues. Some of these works on ontology include:God of the Gospel. The Holy Trinity.by Nguyen Van Khanh,The mystery of one God in three personsof Tan Yen. Some works on anthropology:Spiritual lifeby Phan Tan Thanh (2002);Christian Anthropologyby Le Van Chinh (2005);Christian Anthropology. Volume 2: Original Sin and Graceby Tran Ngoc Anh (2015).

- Foreign research works:

Some comprehensive and systematic studies of Augustine's thought include:Introduction à l'étude de Saint Augustin, Vrin by Étienne Gilson (1929);Geschichte der Philosophie(History of Philosophy) by Johannes Hirschberger (1948);A History of philosophy. Volume II: Medieval philosophyby Frederick Copleston (1993).

Some studies related to ontological issues include:Medieval cultural categoriesby AJA Gurevich (1998), which includes an analysis of Augustine's conception of time;The Wall of the Mysteries of the Holy Trinityby Michel Rondet(2010) It is one of the representative works presenting the history of the concept of the Holy Trinity;Creationism through the AuthorsGeorg Kraus's work is a study on the creation problem. Some anthropological studies include:The Structure of the Human Mind According to Augustine. Self - reflection and Knowledge of God in De Trinitateby Johannes Brachtendorf (2000);Theological humanism through the authorsby Georg Langemeyer. Some studies on ethics include:Modern ethics: origins and challengesby Elena Vxevolodovna Zolotkhina - Abolina (1998);The moral theory and applied of saint Augustine of Hippo as presented in “in Iohannis evangelium tractatus” and “in epistulam Iohannis ad parthos”by John Paschal Bane (1998);Introduction to Western Philosophyby Samuel Enoch Stumpf and Donald C. Abel (2004);The cardinal virtues in the middle ages: A study moral thought from the fourth to the fourteenth centuryby István P. Bejczy (2011) etc.

1.3. Research works related to the evaluation of Augustine's philosophy

One of the most prominent books in Vietnam that studies the life and work, as well as the influence of Augustine on the current generation of young Vietnamese Catholics, is...Augustine. The saint of young people today.by Jorathe Nắng Tím(2016).

Some of the scholarly works by foreign scholars that more or less contain observations and assessments of Augustine's philosophical thought include:The Saints that Moved the World: Anthony, Augustine, Francis, Ignatius, Theresaby René Fúlop-Miller (1945);Great thinkers of Christianityby Hans Kung (2010);A journey to explore the world of Western philosophy.by William F. Lawhead (2012).

1.4. Issues requiring further research for the dissertation.

Through an overview of research related to the topic "The philosophical ideas of Augustine"We will summarize the achievements of previous studies and identify the issues that the thesis needs to further investigate:

The firstThe aforementioned studies, with their different purposes and approaches, have more or less touched upon the conditions and prerequisites for the emergence of Augustinian philosophy; however, none have studied it specifically and systematically. Therefore, we will try to overcome these limitations to present a more systematic and comprehensive overview of this issue.

MondayThe philosophical thought of Augustine has been studied by scholars both domestically and internationally. Notable domestic scholars include Nguyen Trong Vien, Le Ton Nghiem, Phan Tan Thanh, Do Minh Hop, Doan Chinh, and Dinh Ngoc Thach. One of the leading and most prominent experts in the field of Christian philosophy is Étienne Gilson, in addition to researchers Johannes Hirschberger and Frederick Copleston. These scholars have provided systematic and comprehensive studies of Augustine's philosophical thought, which are crucial foundations for further in-depth research into the philosopher's ideas. Building upon these previous studies, we will present a systematic and in-depth analysis of the most important aspects of Augustine's philosophical thought, particularly providing concrete and convincing evidence based on the study of his representative works.

TuesdayIn evaluating Augustine's philosophy, there has been virtually no focused work to date on this issue. The studies we have accessed mainly emphasize the value of his ideas and rarely address the limitations of Augustine's system of thought. Building upon previous studies and systematically researching Augustine's philosophical thought, we will offer some insights into his philosophy from a Marxist perspective. We consider this a particularly important task of this research.

CHAPTER 2. THE CONDITIONS AND PREMISES FOR THE EMERGENCE OF AUGUSTINO'S PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT

2.1. Conditionsfor the emergence of Augustine's philosophical thought

2.1.1.Historical context

Augustine lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries, a transitional period from antiquity to the Middle Ages in the West. Roman society was facing a crisis on all levels of social life: the economy was in decline, politics was in a deep crisis, and social contradictions were insurmountable. This crisis in Roman economic, political, and social life was brought to a head by the invasion of the Germanic barbarians. In 476, a Germanic military leader overthrew the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, became emperor himself, and officially established the feudal system. This event marked the official end of slavery in history, Western society entered the path of feudalization, and the Middle Ages officially began.

2.1.2. Spiritual and cultural context

Augustine's philosophy was formed and developed within the context of a flourishing Roman culture in all fields: natural sciences, literature, history, art, philosophy, and religion. Particularly noteworthy is the formation and development of Christianity in the early centuries AD, which demonstrates a pivotal cultural transformation that fundamentally changed the mindset of Westerners. In the early centuries AD, Christianity not only faced persecution from the authorities and opposition from other religions, but also internal contradictions due to the emergence of heresies and heretical doctrines, which were the origins of Patristics. In 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan recognizing the legal status of Christianity, and subsequently, in 380, Christianity was recognized as the state religion. This pivotal change created new demands, requiring the Church Fathers to focus on developing and deepening the dogma system in order to elevate Christianity to a new level. This was a momentous mission that Augustine, as well as many Christian intellectuals, had to undertake, and this context directly influenced the formation and development of his thought.

2.2. The ideological premise of Augustine's philosophy

2.2.1. Some Greek philosophers who influenced Augustine

Augustine's philosophical thought was formed and developed within the atmosphere of the Greek philosophical tradition. He saw Greek philosophy as a useful intellectual tool for explaining Christian doctrines, for the advancement of theology, and for enabling Christianity to easily penetrate and spread into the identity of Western culture. He was influenced by many different Greek philosophers and schools of philosophy, but most notably Plato and the Neoplatonic school – schools that had the most direct and profound influence on him in many areas of thought.

2.2.2. The Bible

The direct and profound influence of Greek philosophy on Augustine is undeniable, but the Bible is truly the spiritual pillar of his entire system of thought. For Augustine, the Bible was the solid, immutable, and undeniable foundation of truth, and his task, as well as that of other Christian philosophers and theologians, was simply to continue clarifying the system of doctrines established in the Bible. Here, we focus on analyzing the influence of the Bible on Augustine in the following fundamental issues: God, creationism, evil and sin, cognition, and salvation history.

2.2.3. Philo and the early Church Fathers

Augustine's philosophy was influenced first and foremost by the foundations of revealed truth in the Bible, then by Greek philosophy, and finally by Patristics. The Church Fathers of the early centuries AD provided the premises, arguments, and particularly important directions that helped Augustine develop his system of thought. He was especially influenced by the Church Fathers in the spirit of reconciling revealed truth with rational Greek culture; they paved the way for him to complete the marriage between the Greek tradition and the Judeo-Christian tradition.

2.3. Augustine - the man and his representative works

Augustine was born on November 13, 354, in Tagaste, North Africa (formerly part of the Roman Empire), a small city in the province of Numidia, present-day Algeria. He was born into a family with a pagan father and a devout Christian mother. As a child, Augustine was a mischievous boy, engaging in countless tricks, deceit, theft, etc. In his youth, he pursued the passions of worldly life: status, fame, wealth, and sensual pleasures. He studied and became one of the most renowned orators of his time. The turning point in Augustine's life was when he resigned from his position as a professor of rhetoric, converted to Christianity, and was baptized by Bishop Ambrose in 387. From the time he became Bishop of Hippo, he made many contributions to the Catholic Church. In 429, the Vandals invaded North Africa. In 430, Hippo fell, and Augustine died on August 28, 430, at the age of 76. Augustine left the Church and Western culture a vast intellectual legacy, comprising approximately 232 works of various types, including autobiographies, philosophy, apologetics, doctrines, refute heresies, biblical commentaries, ethics, letters, and speeches. These are considered a comprehensive encyclopedia of the Catholic Church.

CONCLUDECHAPTER 2

Augustine's philosophy was formed and developed within the historical context of the early centuries AD, a transitional period from antiquity to the Middle Ages, a time of decline for the slave-owning system but also the emergence of feudalism. The Roman Empire was in a comprehensive crisis of economics, politics, culture, and society, thus considered the darkest period in Roman history. This was also a period of significant cultural and spiritual upheaval in Western society, most notably the formation and development of Christianity, intertwined with its internal contradictions and external conflicts. Western European cultural and spiritual life became complex, with an intertwining of the old and the new, old traditions gradually fading away while new traditions began to form and develop. This historical and cultural context shaped Augustine's philosophy in both its content and its developmental direction. This indicates that any doctrine or system of thought of any era is a product distilled from all the conditions and premises of that era, as C. Marx once affirmed: "Philosophers are not mushrooms growing on the ground. They are the product of their time, their people, in which the most subtle, precious, and subtle energies have been reflected in philosophical concepts."

Greek philosophy, the Bible, and early patristic thought were the pathways to Augustine's philosophy. Of these three sources of thought, the Bible was the spiritual pillar, the most important foundation of faith truth that comprehensively governed Augustine's thinking. Greek culture provided the philosophical premise, offering rational arguments to strengthen faith truth. Patristic thought opened up the idea of ​​the marriage between cultural traditions. On this basis, Augustine thoroughly implemented the marriage between two cultural traditions and united them into a common stream. This marriage has immense historical significance not only for Christianity but also for the entire development of Western culture, ending the era of pluralism of truth and moving towards monism of truth, establishing a unity of Western culture from its very identity.

One of the factors that significantly influenced Augustine's philosophical thought was the complex transformations in his life and career. His life exemplified the famous saying: "There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future." His life was a journey from a dissolute playboy, immersed in worldly desires, to a return to a life of holiness. His life was also a journey of intense yearning for true truth. The ups and downs of his life, the inner struggles, provided the practical material that helped him discover solid truths. He left humanity a vast spiritual legacy with numerous monumental works containing unique ideas that have inspired generations in many fields: theology, philosophy, science, literature, history, etc. He is considered one of the greatest theologians and philosophers in the history of Christian thought. The Catholic Church is grateful to and honors him, and Western culture cannot fail to acknowledge his name and contributions to its glory.

CHAPTER 3. AUGUSTINO'S ONTOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

3.1. Augustine's Ontology

3.1.1. Proving God

The starting point for the entire process of proving God, as established by Augustine, is:Believe in order to understand, understand in order to believe."(Credo intelligere, intelligere credere) means that in order to prove the true existence of God, one must first believe in God. Augustine presented many different arguments, but here we will discuss the four most fundamental ones:Arguments arise from truth; arguments arise from wisdom; arguments arise from the nature of things, or their form and number; arguments arise from the universe.These arguments demonstrate a unity between rational thought and the experience of faith; they are different stages in a process of tracing back to prove the eternal origin of the supreme God. He seems to have attempted to remind Christians of a “truth” rather than to provide a systematic proof of God.

3.1.2. The Divine Nature

Proving God is the basis for Augustine's interpretation of the nature of God. He presents the issue of the nature of God in a number of his works, such as:AutobiographyMonologue, The Ethics of the Catholic Church, On the Nature of GoodThrough his works, Augustine highlights the following fundamental arguments: God is an infinite, immutable, and eternal spiritual essence; God is absolute goodness; God is a unified Trinity; God is omnipotent, the first cause—the cause of all causes.

3.1.3. Creation Theory

In his creationist theory, Augustine focuses on several key issues: God's creation from nothing, the process of creation, the purpose and order of the world, and the nature of time. According to him, out of love and absolute freedom, God created the world and all things from nothing. God created all things from primordial matter and eternal form. The world created by God is inherently good; things are arranged in an orderly manner, have their own purpose, and are directed towards a purpose in their wholeness; and they operate according to eternal law, or God's predetermined plan. Regarding time, Augustine explains two issues: the nature of time and the measurement of time. He argues that the nature of time is always the present: the past is the present of the past, the present is the present of the present, and the future is the present of the future. The length or shortness of time is determined by the perception of the soul. Thus, in Augustine's view, time is subjective and relative.

3.2. Anthropology

3.2.1. The Origin and Nature of Human Beings

According to Augustine, human beings are not only a real, living existence, but also an outstanding, superior existence in the created world. Augustine further elaborates on and develops the doctrine established in the Bible that humans are created by God in His image. Physical parents are merely the means God uses to carry out His act of creation. Humans are created in the image of God not because they possess a perfect body, but because they are intelligent, rational beings, thus placing them at the highest level of existence. The essence of human beings is a whole of soul and body; however, this essence is fundamentally manifested in the soul, which is the life of the body, while the body is merely the outward physical shell.

3.2.2. Regarding the soul

In his conception of the soul, Augustine addresses two main issues: the origin, nature, and structure of the soul..It is undeniable that God created humankind, and therefore He is the author of the soul. However, to explain the process of creating generations of humankind in a concrete way, Augustine leaned towards the theory of the spirit. The nature of the soul is a mystery and had never been specifically explained in Western thought before Augustine. Augustine argued that the soul is a non-material spiritual entity with simple, invisible characteristics. Another essential characteristic of the soul is its immortality, because the soul contains spirit (understood in the narrow sense) and thus becomes immortal. The soul has a tripartite structure, consisting of memory, reason, and will. These are not three parts of a body but the capacities of a single spiritual entity.

3.2.3. Free Will and Inner Experience

Do humans have free will?Regarding this issue, Augustine argued that free will is primarily a benevolent gift from God to humanity; however, there is no such thing as absolute free will, but only free will within the predetermined limits of God. In other words, God created humanity and granted them free will, but every free choice of the will is within His predetermined plan.

When delving into his own inner life, Augustine realized that the existential nature of human existence is particularly manifested in the inner conflicts and crises he called "diseases of the soul." This is the conflict between the holy will originating from God and the vulgar desires originating from the human body. Only when the holy will triumphs over the vulgar desires can we attain true happiness. Although he considered humanity from many perspectives, Augustine still believed that the nature of human existence was a great mystery that his mind could not fully and clearly grasp.

CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER 3

As can be seen, Augustine delved into the most fundamental ontological issues raised by the Greek and Judeo-Christian traditions. Augustine's ontology revolves around several questions: Where do all things come from and what is their nature? Does a supreme being, God, exist, and if so, what is God's nature? Based on the truths of Christian faith and borrowing the core reasoning of Greek philosophy, Augustine demonstrated that God exists and is a non-material, infinite, immutable, eternal, perfect, omnipotent, and unique spiritual being. God is the source of creation and providence of the world. The world created by God has purpose, order, and goodness in its very nature. All things are made up of two elements: form and matter, with form being the essential element that determines the nature of all things.

In his anthropological reflections, from a metaphysical approach, Augustine demonstrated that humanity is a true existence, the pinnacle of the universe, created by God in His image. The essence of man is a rational soul possessing a physical body. The soul is an immaterial, immortal spiritual entity with a tripartite structure consisting of memory, reason, and will. Man is the image of God not only because he is a rational soul, but also because his tripartite structure is similar to that of the Holy Trinity: Father - Son - Holy Spirit; therefore, to know God, one must go through the soul, and to know the soul, one must go through God. From a historical approach, Augustine showed that man is a free existence within the predestination and grace of God. The essence of human existence is revealed in an incredibly complex inner world with its multifaceted emotions, crises, and internal conflicts when faced with life's choices. The free choice of will leads humanity into the moral world and the journey of seeking the ultimate truth, God. From here, Augustine's anthropology will continue to be developed in ethics and epistemology as an extended anthropology in reflection on the moral and cognitive capacities of human beings.

Ontology and anthropology are two fundamental and most important issues in the philosophical thought of Augustine in particular and Christian philosophy in general. They serve as the starting point for other areas of thought concerning ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of history. From a Christian perspective, Augustine stood on the foundation of faith truth while inheriting the quintessential values ​​of Greek philosophy. He elevated Christian ontology and anthropology to a new level, surpassing Jewish and Hindu ontology and anthropology through his philosophical arguments. This is an extremely important contribution of his as a Church Father and Christian theologian. Furthermore, as a philosopher, Augustine added to and developed much of the content of ontology and anthropology compared to Greek philosophy, especially in the issues of proving God, time, and the inner world of human beings. The defining characteristic of Augustine's theology and philosophy lies in its desire to reach the very depths of thought.

CHAPTER 4. AUGUSTINO'S ETHICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY

4.1. Ethics

4.1.1. Evil

When discussing moral evil, the question is: what is the nature of sin?Augustine argued that the essence of sin is humanity's turning away from God, refusing to obey His commands and precepts in favor of one's own desires. The origin of sin stems from free will, which divides the soul into two opposing paths: good and evil, or the ultimate good and the ultimate evil, thus placing humanity in a situation of choice. When we pursue the ultimate good, we are choosing a righteous life and obeying God's commands, which is moral goodness, thereby achieving true happiness. Conversely, when we choose the ultimate evil, that is sin. The ultimate evil is the root of all sin, and every evil person is the author of their own evil actions. Augustine believed that greed is the root of all evil and that greed is rooted in human nature.

4.1.2. Happiness

Augustine believed that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life, and everyone seeks happiness in different ways. The essence of happiness is contentment, the pleasure of the soul when we achieve the good we desire. Augustine strived to distinguish between true happiness and false happiness. False happiness is the joy and pleasure of the soul when people pursue and attain the good of the created world. True happiness, or true contentment, is the pleasure people achieve when they pursue and attain the supreme good, which is God. Augustine called it unceasing joy, holy pleasure, the pure peace of the soul, and truth is the common denominator for all emotions belonging to true happiness, as he said: true happiness is joy in truth.

4.1.3. Virtue

Virtue is the art of living rightly, leading people to true happiness. To attain virtue or a righteous life, one needs a process of training, and that entire process must begin with humility, from which to practice the three virtues toward God:Faith, hope, and love.Love is the heart and soul of Christianity, and loving God and loving one's neighbor are the fundamental and most essential commandments of Christian morality. Loving God is expressed through the four basic moral virtues: temperance, courage, justice, and prudence. Loving one's neighbor as oneself is also an expression of love for God. Loving one's neighbor is an effort to lead others to the ultimate good, which is God. Whether loving one's neighbor, loving oneself, or loving anything in the world, all must stem from love for God and be directed towards love for God.

4.2. Epistemology

4.2.1. Truth - the purpose of the cognitive process

Augustine argued that the goal of all cognitive processes is truth, and that the search for and grasp of truth leads us to a happy life. Truth is understood as universal, immutable, and eternal; at the same time, knowledge considered true must ensure the principle of identity, meaning it is identical to or perfectly imitates the truth. The essence of truth is the most perfect reflection of the eternal form. Truth does not reside within oneself; therefore, to seek truth, we must turn inward.

4.2.2. The Dialectics Between Faith and Reason - Means of the Cognitive Process

According to Augustine, faith and reason are two fundamental and essential means for all processes of perceiving truth, especially the ultimate truth, which is God—the truth of all truths. He wrote:"Believe to understand, understand to believe.""(intellige ut credas, crede ut intelligas). The role of faith is to establish doctrines, to establish firm truths in the spirit, and from there reason has the task of providing arguments and evidence to interpret and clarify that knowledge. To generalize Augustine's conception of the relationship between reason and faith, we can borrow another expression from Saint John Paul II in his encyclical."Faith and reasonFides et ratio)"Faith and reason are like wings that help the human mind soar in contemplation of truth."

4.2.3. The process of perception and the theory of enlightenment

Augustine argued that the process of human cognition consists of three stages: external sensory perception, internal sensory perception, and rational perception. These three stages correspond to sensory perception and rational perception, where sensory perception encompasses both external and internal sensory perception, while rational perception corresponds to the stage of rational perception. Augustine believed that humans cannot attain truth without being enlightened by their inner teacher, God. And to be enlightened, humans must always maintain faith; therefore, the operation of all cognitive processes does not go beyond the realm of faith, and all knowledge does not exceed the limits of dogma.

4.3. Some observations and assessments of Augustine's philosophy

4.3.1. Contributions of Augustine's Philosophy

For Western culture, Augustine left behind a rich spiritual legacy, the surviving works of which are considered an encyclopedia of the Catholic Church. He also made a significant contribution to the development of Western culture by resolving internal contradictions, namely the conflict between the Greek rationalist tradition and the Jewish-Christian faith tradition, thereby unifying the culture into a common stream and creating momentum for its progress in subsequent centuries. Furthermore, Augustine contributed significantly to advancements in many fields of thought, such as: ontology in the conception of creation and time; anthropology in the conception of the soul and inner experience; ethics in the development of conceptions of evil, happiness, and virtue; and epistemology in the expansion of the conception of truth and the process of knowledge. Furthermore, Augustine also made significant contributions to the development of the philosophy of history, and many scholars consider him the first to open up this field of thought.

4.3.2. Limitations of Augustine's Philosophy

From a Marxist perspective, we find that the overarching characteristic of Augustine's philosophy is the absolutization of spiritual life while diminishing material life, leading to negative consequences on both the intellectual and social levels throughout the Middle Ages. Furthermore, Augustine's philosophical thought contains certain limitations in the fields of anthropological, epistemological, and philosophical thought on history.

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 4

Augustine's expansion of anthropology into the field of ethics addressed several particularly important issues related to human practice: the origin and nature of evil, happiness, and the path to happiness. Augustine considered free will as the key to unlocking the secrets of the source of evil. Free will forces humans to choose between ultimate good and ultimate evil. Choosing ultimate good is the source of good, and choosing ultimate evil is the source of evil. The essence of evil is nothing more than the abandonment of God's commandments in pursuit of worldly passions. The ultimate source of evil's greed is aversion, which causes humans to turn away from the absolute good, which is God. True happiness, as joy in truth or joy in God, is the ultimate goal of human life. The path to happiness is the path of pursuing the absolute good, which is God; in other words, a righteous or virtuous life whose core is "loving God and loving one's neighbor." By addressing fundamental ethical issues, Augustine provided satisfactory answers for practical life on the level of faith. The most important characteristic of Augustinian ethics is an ethics that is entirely under the protection and supervision of God. It is here that he made a significant contribution to Christian ethics, especially in interpreting the origin of evil.

Epistemology is also an extension of Augustine's anthropology, but it delves deeper into the cognitive capacity of human beings, an aspect of human existence as the image of God. Through his entire effort, Augustine demonstrated that humans are fully capable of attaining objective truth. Faith and reason are two indispensable methods on the journey to finding truth. The process of cognition begins with the truth of pure faith and ends with the truth of faith clarified by reason. However, although all truths must be established by faith, they do not necessarily have to be established by reason; therefore, faith is both the starting point and the end of the cognitive process. The absolute condition for all truths to be established in the human intellect is the divine illumination of the inner teacher, God. The characteristic of Augustine's epistemology is the harmonious combination of faith and reason on the absolute foundation of the truth of faith. The shift in the object and means of cognition is the fundamental difference between Augustine's epistemology and Greek epistemology. It also demonstrates the transformation of Western culture's value system from a culture of absolute reason to a culture of faith worship.

If we set aside the mystical aspects, Augustine's philosophy makes significant contributions across all fundamental areas, from ontology and anthropology to ethics and epistemology. Perhaps Augustine's most outstanding contribution to Western philosophy lies in the field of anthropology – a more comprehensive and profound doctrine than older anthropology. This is a groundbreaking discovery and also Augustine's most important contribution to Western philosophy. Despite his immense contributions to the Catholic Church and Western philosophy, Augustine's philosophical thought contains limitations inherent in his time and partly due to the influence of his ideological stance. His philosophical system is built on the foundation of faith truth, and therefore is overshadowed by mystical idealism. Consequently, all attempts by reason to explain these issues clearly are somewhat diminished in value when viewed from the perspective of modern philosophy and science.

CONCLUDE

As one of the great saints and doctors of the Catholic Church, and a major thinker of Western philosophy, Augustine has received profound attention from scholars worldwide, especially Catholic and Protestant scholars. In Vietnam today, there are not many systematic and in-depth studies on Augustine or Christian philosophy, indicating that Augustine's philosophy in particular, and Christian philosophy in general, have not received the attention they deserve. This is one of the reasons that prompted the author of this dissertation to undertake this research topic, with the desire to present a systematic and in-depth account of Augustine's philosophical thought, while also providing objective assessments of the philosopher's ideas. Through the study of Augustine's philosophical thought, we can draw the following conclusions:

The firstAugustine's philosophy was formed and developed in the context of the transition between two periods: antiquity and the Middle Ages. Changes in all areas of social life, from economics and politics to culture and religion, directly shaped the development and content of Augustine's philosophical thought. It can be seen that the most direct influence on Augustine's philosophy was the complex upheavals in the early history of Christianity, including the persecutions by the Roman government, the opposition from the intellectual class influenced by Greek tradition, and internal conflicts among Christian intellectuals regarding the interpretation of doctrines. This context presented Christianity with major challenges to its survival and placed a crucial mission on Christian thinkers: to protect and develop Christianity, giving it a firm position in the cultural and spiritual life of Western Europe. By combining the values ​​of two cultural traditions—Greek and Jewish-Christian—Augustine and other Church Fathers successfully resolved the problems facing Christianity, making a significant contribution to the rooting and deep penetration of Christianity into Western cultural and spiritual life. This union of two cultural traditions was significant not only for the development of Christianity but also for the development of Western culture. Perhaps, when choosing his path and constructing his doctrinal system, Augustine focused only on the most important goal: applying the values ​​of Greek philosophy to serve the development of Christian doctrine, without considering the larger goal of resolving the internal contradictions of Western culture. However, by achieving this union of two cultural traditions, Augustine revolutionized the field of cultural thought. He resolved internal contradictions and unified opposing tendencies within the culture, thereby ushering in a new era of unity and advancement for Western culture in the centuries that followed.

MondayThrough a skillful combination and integration of two cultural traditions, Augustine constructed a perfect picture of the universe from beginning to end. The starting point of Augustine's philosophy is God, the absolute creator and provident of the entire universe. All things are created, arranged, and operate according to God's predetermined plan. The culmination of creation is man, a superior creature created in the image of God and holding the highest position in the hierarchy of existence, becoming the lord of all things because of his intellect and spirit. The two fundamental aspects of human existence are cognition and morality, which are also the two aspects on the path leading humanity to the ultimate good, God, and to God is to attain true happiness. If the moral life of each individual is directly related to their individual happiness, then social morality is the prerequisite for the happiness of all humanity. The ups and downs of human history have their direct roots in the social morality under the just judgment of God. The ultimate goal of the entire historical process is the kingdom of God, or the ideal republic, the fulfillment of God's divine predestined plan. Augustine's entire philosophical thought represents a tireless effort to construct a comprehensive picture of the universe, a picture so perfect that for over eight centuries, Westerners have been unable to create anything similar.

TuesdayWith the entire intellectual legacy that Augustine left to humanity, despite certain historical limitations, no one can deny his immense value and contributions to Western philosophy, Christianity, and Western culture.

As a philosopher, as mentioned above, Augustine's contribution to Western philosophy was the construction of a complete picture of the world from beginning to end. He posed and explained most of the fundamental philosophical problems concerning worldview and philosophy of life that had emerged from Greek philosophy and the Jewish-Christian faith tradition. Augustine not only thoroughly analyzed seemingly old topics more than his predecessors, contemporaries, and even later scholars, but also opened up new and unique issues, especially the problem of human existence in its inner world and of a global history. These themes had resurfaced after many centuries in 20th-century existentialism and the philosophy of history in 18th-19th-century German classical philosophy. Augustine was the one who made a revolutionary turning point, opening a new era in the history of Western philosophy. Since his time, Western philosophy officially entered the Middle Ages.

As a theologian, Augustine left a profound mark and had a far-reaching influence on Christian thought. His efforts in resolving theological dilemmas such as proving God, creationism, the Trinity, and especially the relationship between faith and reason, became a model and framework for Christian theology. Therefore, he became one of the most frequently cited theologians in Christian thought in subsequent periods. His efforts in combating heresy, false doctrines, and internal conflicts within contemporary Christian theology contributed significantly to the advancement of Christian theology, making it one of the exemplary theologies that other religions lack. Consequently, Christianity has become one of the world's most powerful religions, both in the past and present.

Regarding his influence on Western culture, it can be seen that not only did he have a significant impact in philosophy and theology, but Augustine also had a considerable influence on several other fields of Western culture and science such as literature, psychology, and physics, for which he is still remembered today as a pioneering figure. For a long time, people have approached Augustine as a theologian of the Catholic Church, forgetting that he was one of the great thinkers of Western culture – a man who fulfilled the mission of bringing the different paths of Western culture into a unified flow, a man who contributed to a epoch-making shift that ushered Western culture into a new era. With his intellect and tireless efforts, he distilled all the materials from the past to mold a new system of values ​​(paradigm), providing clearer, more concise, and more complete answers to old ideological problems, opening up new issues that enriched and enlivened Western culture, and becoming a framework for the Middle Ages, still influencing us today.

FinalDespite numerous efforts, the author's presentation above still has many shortcomings and needs to be supplemented and developed in subsequent studies. The author argues that, as a great saint and doctor of philosophy who made immense contributions to the Catholic Church, Western philosophy, and culture, Augustine should be studied as one of the great Western thinkers who created a turning point in culture, since which all branches of Western culture have flowed into a unified stream. Therefore, studies on Augustine's thought need to be supplemented and developed in two directions: firstly, studies that are more comprehensive, holistic, and in-depth, not only stopping at some basic content as presented above but also in relation to theological issues; Secondly, there are specialized studies that delve into specific topics such as anthropology, ethics, or the philosophy of history, etc. Expanding research in both depth and breadth will help us gain more objective, comprehensive, and profound insights into this thinker. At the same time, we can inherit and learn from the essential core elements of his thought, contributing to the building of an advanced and modern culture in the context of globalization and international integration.

LIST OF SCIENTIFIC WORKS BY THE AUTHOR

RELATED TO THE THESIS

1. Vu Thi Hai (2018),The problem of man in Augustine's philosophy, Journal of Science (Hanoi University of Education) ISSN 2354 - 1075, Volume 63, Issue 5B pp. 293 - 300.

2. Vu Thi Hai (2018):Augustine, as seen through the eyes of Christian believers in Vietnam today., International Conference “Christian Thinkers in Vietnam and the Region: Some Comparative Studies”, Religious Publishing House, pp. 211-219.

3. Vu Thi Hai (2018):Good and Evil in Augustine's Ethics, Proceedings of the National Conference of Teacher Training Universities, ISBN: 978 - 604 - 54 - 4525 - 9, pp. 174 - 178.

4. Vu Thi Hai (2019),Augustine's Anthropology, Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, ISSN 2354-1172, Vol. 5, No. 2b, pp. 222-235.