How does Augustine dramatize the moment of his conversion? How important is it that events happened exactly the way that he said they did?
Augustine dramatizes his conversion to be explicitly God led. It is important that events happened exactly the way that he said they did because with that, not only is the climax of the story fulfilled as a narrative, but also his conversion was brought by good, and not by his own power, but his decision. With this, the nature of God and sin, which is one of the main themes of the confessions, is portrayed through this conversion to his audience, which is the people of the church.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Confessions book 8
What is Augustine’s “verdict” about the importance and limitation of classical wisdom for the Christian?
Augustine decided that classical wisdom is quite important for the Christian, but that truth comes from the Scripture. He agrees that man needs to be led out of the "cave" and into reality, but that it is God that does that, not man. Classical wisdom for the Christian is good to know, and should be known , but should also be known to be pagan, and not the same type of truth as the Scripture is.
Augustine decided that classical wisdom is quite important for the Christian, but that truth comes from the Scripture. He agrees that man needs to be led out of the "cave" and into reality, but that it is God that does that, not man. Classical wisdom for the Christian is good to know, and should be known , but should also be known to be pagan, and not the same type of truth as the Scripture is.
Confessions Book Six
What does Augustine discover about human limitations and the consequent need to trust?
Augustine learned that the human limitation prevents one from being free from addiction, and that he needs to trust in God to free him. He learned that he could not change by his own power, but required greater power than himself to break his immoral habituation and be free from the sin around him. This would force him to work with God rather than against Him in order to do what is right according to God.
Augustine learned that the human limitation prevents one from being free from addiction, and that he needs to trust in God to free him. He learned that he could not change by his own power, but required greater power than himself to break his immoral habituation and be free from the sin around him. This would force him to work with God rather than against Him in order to do what is right according to God.
Confessions book 5
How good a speaker is Ambrose, and what does Augustine learn about rhetoric from listening to Ambrose’s sermons?
Ambrose was a magnificent speaker, and combines content and form into one way of speaking that forces you to see the content even if you only want to hear the eloquence of it. Through this experience, Augustine learns that rhetoric can sound good, but also should have good content through which people will be moved, not by the words alone, but also by what the words mean. This helps settle the war between content and form that Augustine was wrestling with by showing him the use of both.
Ambrose was a magnificent speaker, and combines content and form into one way of speaking that forces you to see the content even if you only want to hear the eloquence of it. Through this experience, Augustine learns that rhetoric can sound good, but also should have good content through which people will be moved, not by the words alone, but also by what the words mean. This helps settle the war between content and form that Augustine was wrestling with by showing him the use of both.
The Prince
1) What, according to Machiavelli, is the basis of political authority?
According to Machiavelli, the prince needs to be liked by the people, and must deal with people who don't like him in certain ways. This would build a good unity within the people, allowing the prince will be able to guide the people to help him act with less resistance. Another aspect of authority is the ability to command the army under the prince. With this, the prince can use the army to press, or prevent certain movements to help rule adequately.
2) How does this theory differ from the others of his day?
Machiavelli believes that the consequences of actions are more important than their morality. This means that the prince shouldn't try to do good works because it is good, but instead because he needs the help of the followers in order to work at his best capacity. Another way of looking at this is pragmatism. The prince should act out of practicality rather than morality.
3) When he claims that a prince must assume many guises, what is Machiavelli saying about his understanding of human nature?
He is basically saying that human nature can't please everyone, so you must be a different person to different people in order to do just that. Another way of putting it is that human nature cant fill everything you must fill, so you must wear different hats to do that. It is more about survival as a prince than about being good to the state.
4) What is the role of artifice in political authority?
The role of artifice in political authority is to be used when force doesn't work. Machiavelli uses the analogy of the prince having to be both a lion and a fox. The lion can protect itself from wolves, but will get ensnared in traps, and vice versa for the fox. Therefore, in order to overcome both, the prince must use both force in certain situations, and artifice in the others.
5) What might Machiavelli's prince have in common with Castigation's courtier?
Machiavelli's prince and Castigation's courtier both talk about how the prince/courtier should lead their life in order to be the most influential and successful with the resources they have.
According to Machiavelli, the prince needs to be liked by the people, and must deal with people who don't like him in certain ways. This would build a good unity within the people, allowing the prince will be able to guide the people to help him act with less resistance. Another aspect of authority is the ability to command the army under the prince. With this, the prince can use the army to press, or prevent certain movements to help rule adequately.
2) How does this theory differ from the others of his day?
Machiavelli believes that the consequences of actions are more important than their morality. This means that the prince shouldn't try to do good works because it is good, but instead because he needs the help of the followers in order to work at his best capacity. Another way of looking at this is pragmatism. The prince should act out of practicality rather than morality.
3) When he claims that a prince must assume many guises, what is Machiavelli saying about his understanding of human nature?
He is basically saying that human nature can't please everyone, so you must be a different person to different people in order to do just that. Another way of putting it is that human nature cant fill everything you must fill, so you must wear different hats to do that. It is more about survival as a prince than about being good to the state.
4) What is the role of artifice in political authority?
The role of artifice in political authority is to be used when force doesn't work. Machiavelli uses the analogy of the prince having to be both a lion and a fox. The lion can protect itself from wolves, but will get ensnared in traps, and vice versa for the fox. Therefore, in order to overcome both, the prince must use both force in certain situations, and artifice in the others.
5) What might Machiavelli's prince have in common with Castigation's courtier?
Machiavelli's prince and Castigation's courtier both talk about how the prince/courtier should lead their life in order to be the most influential and successful with the resources they have.
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