Questions For A Philosopher On The Real World - 1505 Words

According to Augustine there are two essential questions for a philosopher examining the real world. The first question has to do with the human soul, in which we would concentrate on examining the self. And the second question has to do with God, which helps us better understand our existence. We become more capable of a happy life by getting to better know ourselves. However, the only way we can become truly happy is by getting to know who God is. By knowing both your self and by knowing who God is, is when we are able to get a hold of the true order of reality; not necessarily our own definition of reality but the order of our creator. Being human, we are born with a desire for love, and we thirst to move closer and closer to†¦show more content†¦It s occupied the minds of great Christian thinkers since the beginning, including St. Augustine (354-430). For a great part of his life, Augustine s approach was not only incredibly brilliant; but it made sense. His vision was both intellectually credible and emotionally satisfying in a way that allowed the Christian to make sense out of life in a fallen world by offering a sense of hope. The two aspects of the problem of evil can be presented in several ways. One approach addresses the origin of evil, prompting a series of statements that form a reasoned argument; (A) God created all things; (B) evil is a thing; and (C) therefore, God created evil. If the first two premises are true, the conclusion is unable to be denied. If this concept is uninterrupted, it is devastating for Christianity. If God knowingly created evil, then that would mean that He is not good. Augustine realized that the answer to this went hand in hand to the question: â€Å"What is evil?† This argument depends on the idea that the idea of evil is a thing. But what if evil is not a thing in that sense? Then evil did not need to be created. If so, our search for the source of evil will take us in a another direction Now Augustine would approach the argument in a different manner. He asks: Is there any solid evidence indicating that a good God exists? If there is evidence that leads us to think that God is indeed all good, then He would be incapable of creating evil.