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Saturday, April 21, 2012

The City of God by Saint Augustine -- Foundations of Political Thought -- Blog Post #5

Textbook: The City of God by Saint Augustine (Translated by Marcus Dods, D.D.)
Blog Started 7:43p.m on Saturday April 21, 2012
Required Reading: Book X: 6; Book XI: 1-2, 22, 27; Book XII: 3, 8, 23; Book XIV: 1, 5-6, 9-26, 28; Book XV: 1, 4, 5
Chosen Portion: Book XII; Page 8

In this excerpt from Saint Augustine's City of God, Saint Augustine describes the faults of the human soul. He starts by mentioning that God is perfect and incorruptible, yet human nature is not insusceptible to the allure of wickedness. As such, Saint Augustine specifies that it is not the creations of God that are evil but the intentions of them. So for instance, greed is not a poor trait inherent of gold, but in the man that excessively loves gold, especially in cases where it becomes an obstruction of justice, which (according to Augustine) should be held in much higher regard. I agree with Augustine in part that it is the motive of a man that drives him to commit unjust acts.

However, I disagree with him in that "avarice" is not a trait of natural things. I still hold firm to the belief that money is the root of all evil as it is a form of power. It is versatile and as such, can inflict one's will upon others in a manner similar to peer pressure (or in some cases duress. i.e. holding someone for ransom). Money (or gold) can however be used as a tool for good in places where it is needed most like in hospitals and the like. Yet it seems as though it always draws some sort of need AND a desire. As it has been stated countless times by people of this era, with more gold or cash, one can accomplish more and as such, men tend to turn from God in times of abundance as his divine intervention may not be fully realized or praised. (Loss of respect for God etc.) The manner in which this money is obtained also affects one's "nature" as one can become prideful in the tactful way in which it was earned. Sometimes causing a man to act unknowingly arrogant or inconcieveably boastful.

To be blunt, I think if this nation eliminated some of its capitalistic tendencies, and perhaps went back to a bartering system, the world would be a more just society.

1 comment:

  1. David,

    Really interesting post. You seem to be suggesting like Marx that capitalism (or certain versions of it) alter human nature to make it more susceptible to evil.

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