The Power of Perversity In Book II of his noneworthy work, Confessions, Saint Augustine discusses the stubborn merciful require to move over sin. He recounts a tale of stealing pears from his adolescence to demonstrate his excitement in carry finisheding an lousiness deed exactly be bring on of its inherent wickedness. His primary motivation lies non in deriving revive from appreciation the pears and from the thrill of tasting sin and from playacting against the pull up stakes of beau ideal. Socrates and Plato, however, differ starkly from St. Augustine in their reports for the existence of pestiferous in the earth. In Socrates view, undivideds never intention all in ally yield pixilatedly. He fences that the ignorance of the grave is the root of all curseness actions. In secern, Plato, in The democracy claims that the tri berthite structure of the thought causes individuals to behave wickedly. Im object lesson actions throw in when the appetitive fictitious character and/or purposeed procedure commence for rejoicing over the perspicacious instigate. St. Augustine adjures the trounce commentary for shabbiness because he asserts a coherent and consistent argument that around all the way explains why spate lay mephistophelian whole kit and boodle. In the Confessions, St. Augustine argues perverse desires prompt individuals to commit sinful acts. He uses the example of his callow larceny of the pears from a neighbors tree to look the inner motivations undersurface sin. St. Augustine concentrates on the sinful nature of stealth. ¦ [He] had no wish to have intercourse the things [he] coveted by larceny, only alto dragher to transport the thie very itself and the sin. Although he dis come afters and rebels against divinity escape in committing this wicked deed, he make headways a certain move joy in winning items that do non belong to him. distant well-nigh immoral individual s, who tint in diabolic acts because they ! ar motivated by former(a) high entire, Augustine argues that he ¦ was non compelled by any leave out, unless it were the deprivation of a gumption of justice or a hostility for what was right and a greedy love of doing wrong. A famine of his own pears, a curiosity of tasting these foreign pears, the want to satisfy his staple need of hunger or flush the desire for camaraderie could mitigate the wickedness of his deed. Augustine, however, asserts that his depraved component sh be enjoys and all the same revels in committing the evil act itself. He demonstrates this when he throws most of the stolen pears to nearby pigs. He, along with his comrades, selfishly derives pleasure from the theft alone. He consequently disposes most of the perfectly edible payoff. He prevents otherwise individuals from obtaining any utility by consuming the fruit. In throwing the fruit to the pigs, his intentions lie not in feeding the animals, which butt conjugation be readed a good. In contrast, he misss a riposte in means of disposing the stolen materials. In planetary, the image of pigs carries negative connotations because these creatures are typically dirty, untidy and unruly. These base traits are besides evident in his character. Through his wicked deed, the dirty, untidy and unruly Augustine contaminates the good in the world. Augustine searchs to understand the cause of evil in the world in order to overcome his wicked ways and tone [ divinity fudges] redolence, the sweetness that does not deceive but brings real joy¦ Augustine does not expect to be thrown into hell for his theft. However, consort to Augustine, taking pleasure in evil for its own pursuit is the ethyl ether of evil. Furthermore, he seeks to construe the fundamental root of this evil, which often prevails in a world that is essentially good. He accepts the notion that the benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent theology creates people with the unbosom ex it to coiffure both good and evil acts. This, by no! means, suggests that God is indirectly responsible for the evils committed by the free agents. The main(prenominal) purpose of providing humans with this free will is for them to obey God willingly and not out of any compulsion. God creates the conditions whereby human beings make their choices. detestation forces when these humans chose not to companion Gods will. Augustine argues that he is given a ¦free rein to lark [himself] beyond the strict limits of discipline, so that [he] lost [himself] in some kinds of evil ways, in all of which a pall of duskiness hung amidst [him] and the bright light of¦ [Gods] truth. In retrospect, he ac noesiss that in stealing the fruit, he distances himself from God. Additionally, he realizes that God never causes people to behave in wicked ways. God guides people toward a raceway of spectral happiness. Individuals, who chose to stray from this path, often suffer. Augustine believes that human twinge is penalization for indivi dual sins. Augustine, also, argues that Gods foreknowledge of an evil action does not take past from free will. Gods awareness of an act does not directly cause the individual to commit the act. Gods benevolence would change magnitude if he created beings without the talent to do evil. A world in which people lack this ability is more undesirable than a world in which free will and suffering prevail. This is more often than not because evil contributes to the general goodness in the world. spell this is not visible from a limited human point of view, God perceives it in the general big picture. Augustine asserts that a sense of offset and order exists in this world because of the preponderance of the degrees of goodness. According to Augustine, evil is not some other independent substance but merely a lack of goodness. When individuals perform evil deeds they turn themselves away from God. They depart from Gods good, spiritual world in search of something else. Augu stine, however, hazards it unwieldy to locate what! it is they are searching for. [Augustines] understanding was vicious and broke away from [Gods] safe keeping to seek its own destruction, looking for no profit in commonwealth but only for disgrace itself. This emphasizes the moral of the theft of the pears. some(prenominal) individuals participate in wicked, sinful deeds merely because they derive a perverse pleasure from the wrongdoing. Nothing in give-up the ghostrence draws Augustine to steal the pears except his thirst to commit an evil deed. The pears themselves were plain to view and eat. However, [i]f any part of one of those pears passed [his] lips, it was the sin that gave it sapidness Thus, the fruit satisfies his desire to degustation his own sin. Augustine, however, after contemplating his former sinful ways emphasizes it is only finished goodness that individuals find the best possible life. In contrast to Augustine, Socrates, in Platos The Republic, offers a very different explanation for occurre nce of evil in the world. He denies the existence of akrasia, which is the weakness of the will. In his view, individuals respond to their reason, which invariably aims at some moral good. Evil actions result when an individual is ignorant of the real good. He rejects Augustines assertion that some individuals commit wicked acts simply because of their desire for wrongdoing. Socrates argues that knowledge is a chastity and ignorance is a vice. He argues that ¦its through knowledge, not ignorance, that people examine well. Individuals make better decisions when they are well informed about the knowledge of the good. This awareness compels them to perform good deeds. In addition, Socrates asserts that individuals never by choice commit evil actions. They engage in these acts because their ignorance misguides them. They have no standard for choosing amidst the moral good and the other objective. They lack the fundamental knowledge of the good, which is necessary to direct them towards the good. Socrates would argue ! that Augustine is ignorant of the fact that stealing is wrong. In his view, Augustine wants the pears because they are inherently good, as are all of Gods creations.
Augustine through his consumption seeks to enjoy the goodness within the fruit. This higher(prenominal) good prevents him from realizing the sinfulness of the theft itself. He misconstrues the good in the situation and behaves wickedly. Thus, Socrates emphasizes the need for raising among all ranks of society. Only through scholarly learning disregard individuals realize the good. In contrast to Socrates, Plato asserts that akrasia exists in the world. Pl ato describes the soul as constitute of trio unconnected split. The appetitive part responds to basic biological needs, the spirited part reacts to the moral emotions of honor, assumption, shame and impatience and lastly the rational part responds to reason and intellect. The human soul, patronage the knowledge it may have, does not just yearn for goodness. It also desires earthly happiness. If human soul only consists of reason, it would never commit evil acts. According to Plato, ¦ we learn with one part, get smoldering with another, and with some third part desire the pleasures of food, drink, sex¦ This tripartite structure of the soul explains inconclusive behavior and sinful acts. Evil actions occur when the spirited part either in partnership or without the appetitive part, get overs the rational part. The former two split are incapable of reason. They mainly seek to satisfy quick gratification. They do not consider the consequences of the actions. Plato would argue that Augustines theft of the pears! was result of a struggle betwixt the spirited and the rational part. While his rational part recognizes that stealing is wrong, his spirited part responds very strongly to his superciliousness. Augustine enjoys the prestige he gains from his comrades when he commits the theft. Thus, these conflicting desires, whereby his compliment overpowers his reason, result in his false and sinful behavior. While St. Augustine, Socrates, and Plato offer different explanations for the occurrence of evil in the world, the former stick ups the most coherent and consistent argument. Augustine intentionally steals the fruit because he gains a disturbing pleasure from the wrongdoing. Socrates, in contrast, argues that Augustine is ignorant and insensible of the wrongfulness in taking anothers possessions. However, Augustine openly admits that he loves the evil that fills his soul as he steals the fruit. He seeks no higher good in the situation. Thus, Socrates provides an unsatisfactory explanation because the weakness of Augustines will is garnerly evident. In addition, Platos argument that pride dominates reason is weak. It is difficult to perceive the soul as constituted by three independent conflicting parts. Plato asserts that the appetite and the spirit are noncognitive. However, if these parts lack the abilities to reason, then they would never be able to overpower the rational part. For this reason, there must be a cognitive component to both the appetitive and spiritual parts. This, in turn, blurs the clear boundaries between the three distinct parts. In Augustines situation, there is no inner conflict. Neither his hunger nor his pride challenges his reason. He merely desires the fruit and likewise steals it because it is wrong to do so. Thus, it is Augustines theory that provides the best explanation for his evil deed. Saint Augustine most clearly explains his reasons for turn away from God and stealing the pears. He asserts that evil action s occur because God creates individuals with free wil! l. While Socrates and Plato provide interesting reasons for the prevalence of evil in the world, these philosophers fundamentally run short to influence the perversity that drives Augustine to commit the evil deed. If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:
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