Augustine and the Limits of Virtue

by James Wetzel

Augustine's moral psychology was one of the richest in late antiquity, and in this book James Wetzel evaluates its development, indicating that the insights offered by Augustine on free-will have been prevented from receiving full appreciation as the result of an anachronistic distinction between theology and philosophy. He shows that it has been commonplace to divide Augustine's thought into earlier and later phases, the former being more philosophically informed than the latter. Wetzel's contention is that this division is less pronounced than it has been made out to be. The author shows that, while Augustine clearly acknowledges his differences with philosophy, he never loses his fascination with the Stoic concepts of happiness and virtue, and of the possibility of their attainment by human beings. This fascination is seen by Wetzel to extend to Augustine's writings on grace, where freedom and happiness are viewed as a recovery of virtue. The notorious dismissal of pagan virtue in 'The City of God' is part of Augustine's family quarrel with philosophers, not a rejection of philosophy per se. Augustine the theologian is thus seen to be a Platonist philosopher with a keen sense of the psychology of moral struggle.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology

264 pages, ebook

First published June 18, 1992

About the author

James Wetzel is the Augustinian Chair in the Thought of St. Augustine of the
Philosophy Department at Villanova University.

His Areas of focus are Augustine and Platonism, moral psychology, metaphysics of evil, mysticism and mythology.
His areas of interest are post-Hellenic philosophy (Rome and its discontents), modern philosophy and the cogito (the Cartesian turn), post-Cartesianism and philosophy's end (Wittgenstein).

His work has received funding from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many good studies of Augustine. Few, however, are truly inspired. Wetzel's book belongs to this select group. Because he tries to make philosophical sense of Augustine's ethics and views of predestination and because he approaches Augustine sympathetically rather than as a disdainful critic (like so many moderns), Wetzel is able to provide provide amazingly fresh insights into Augustine's thought. The depth and richness of this book allow one to reread it profitably an innumerable number of times.