St. Augustine of Hippo: The Christian Transformation of Political Philosophy

by R.W. Dyson

St Augustine of Hippo was the earliest thinker to develop a distinctively Christian political and social philosophy. He does so mainly from the perspective of Platonism and Stoicism; but by introducing the biblical and Pauline conceptions of sin, grace and predestination he radically transforms the 'classical' understanding of the political. Humanity is not perfectible through participation in the life of a moral community; indeed, there are no moral communities on earth. Humankind is fallen; we are slaves of self-love and the destructive impulses generated by it. The State is no longer the matrix within which human beings can achieve ethical goods through co-operation with other rational and moral beings. Augustine's response to classical political assumptions and claims therefore transcends 'normal' radicalism. His project is not that of drawing attention to weaknesses and inadequacies in our political arrangements with a view to recommending their abolition or improvement. Nor does he adopt the classical practice of delineating an ideal State. To his mind, all States are imperfect: they are the mechanisms whereby an imperfect world is regulated. They can provide justice and peace of a kind, but even the best earthly versions of justice and peace are not true justice and peace. It is precisely the impossibility of true justice on earth that makes the State necessary. Robert Dyson's new book describes and analyses this 'transformation' in detail and shows Augustine's enormous influence upon the development of political thought down to the thirteenth century.

Genres: Philosophy

206 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mats Winther · Rating 5 out of 5]

R. W. Dyson’s “St Augustine of Hippo: The Christian Transformation of Political Philosophy” (2005) serves as an excellent introduction to Augustine’s thought, as it illuminates how his theological principles shaped his political philosophy. Augustine fundamentally transformed classical political philosophy by rejecting its core assumptions about human nature and the purpose of political community. He contested the classical view of humans as “political animals,” i.e., naturally political beings (following Aristotle). He replaced it with a view of political society as a necessary remedy for sin and human fallenness. Thus, he rejected classical notions of the state as an institution for moral development. Rather than pursuing the highest good, the state shall serve to maintain earthly peace and order. Says Dyson:

 
As we have emphasized, it is Augustine’s view, expressed repeatedly, that political arrangements are no more than a regrettable necessity, inseparable from the depraved condition of mankind. The means of man’s redemption, and therefore the only truly important aspect of human experience, is the transformation of human life by the grace of God… (pp. 151-52)
 

Importantly, history is not working towards some end or culmination in this world. Our wills are so grievously damaged by sin that our moral good cannot be achieved by ‘natural,’ that is, by unaided, reason (pp. 35-36). Dyson notes:

 
This is a conclusion that, from our point of view, has momentous consequences. To accept it is to deny that political activity as such can have the ethical significance attributed to it by the main stream of classical philosophy from Plato onwards. (p. 36)
 

Augustine therefore rejects the Stoic concept of a universal cosmopolis, a vision that parallels modern utopian theories of society. His political philosophy thus offers a critique of modern attempts at radical social transformation. The author presents Augustine’s complex thought in an accessible format. This book serves as a valuable resource for understanding his thought.