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729 Plato and St Augustine

729 Plato and St Augustine

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Philosophies of St. Augustine and Plato

Saint Augustine and Plato are well-known philosophers who virtually shadow one

another, with similarities in their aspirations and need perfection. Even though both of them want

for life within a society that is just and fair, individually their goals are different in pursuing

justice. The work o Saint Augustine, such as The Confessions, exemplifies upon his contention

with Plato on religion and politics. In examining their original works, there emerge parallels in

definition but only when they are linked with a monumental division in individual focuses.

Augustine’s focus was centered on achieving self-gratification and personal excellence, while

Plato’s focus was concentrated on politics (Donovan 23). In terms of virtuousness, however, both

of them wanted what was just and good. However, with different concepts of what “good” was,

the strategies they used in achieving that virtuousness differed.

To build an understanding of the disparities between both philosophers’ ideas, it is

important to understand both of their individual political concepts.

If you ask what that progeny is, it is wisdom and virtue in general; of this all poets

and such craftsmen as have found out some new thing may be said to be

begetters; but far the greatest and fairest branch of wisdom is that which is

concerned with the due ordering of states and families, whose name is moderation

and justice (Hamilton 90).

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Plato’s beliefs lay in a perfect society where different units and classes worked on what suited

their aptitude and nature. No person or class would be interfering with other people’s work, but

everyone would be cooperative in producing an effective, peaceful, and fair world. Only then

would a state be “just.”

Plato aimed to build an educational system where the ruling class would be prevalent.

That class would be classified as true philosophers via education, and they would go on to build

a recollection of the knowledge they possessed. Plato’s definition of a just society constituted

many people that did not necessarily have any education, which rendered them unable to rule.

Such people, in Plato’s view, would be happy in conforming to the ideals of the knowledgeable

elite and, as such, be content with those elite building a justice system.

And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or

unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a

mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been

from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot

move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning

round their heads (Jowett 259).

Plato was aware that the people needed God in their lives to put their self-interest second and

please the system. Plato’s view of God was not concerned with approbation or being responsible,

but with a concept of ultimate and unwavering perfection that every law and concept originated

from. With the presence of a higher power, the Republic citizens would hold themselves

responsible towards the state as well towards God, and so would feel an automatic obligation

towards doing whatever work was assigned to them.

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Student’s Last Name 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject DD MM YYYY Philosophies of St. Augustine and Plato Saint Augustine and Plato are well-known philosophers who virtually shadow one another, with similarities in their aspirations and need perfection. Even though both of them want for life within a society that is just and fair, individually their goals are different in pursuing justice. The work o Saint Augustine, such as The Confessions, exemplifies upon his contention with Plato on religion and politics. In examining their original works, there emerge parallels in definition but only when they are linked with a monumental division in individual focuses. Augustine’s focus was centered on achieving self-gratification and personal excellence, while Plato’s focus was concentrated on politics (Donovan 23). In terms of virtuousness, however, both of them wanted what was just and good. However, with different concepts of what “good” was, the strategies they used in achieving that virtuousness differed. To build an understanding of the disparities between both philosophers’ ideas, it is important to understand both of their individual political concepts. If you ask what that progeny is, it is wisdom and virtue in general; of this all poets and such craftsmen as have found out some new thing may be said to be begetters; but far the greatest and fairest branch of wisdom is that which is concerned with the due ordering of states and families, whose name is mo ...
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