Relationship between St Augustine and Plato - 1773 Words

Discuss the relationship between St. Augustine and Plato Great philosophers over time have shared ideas about their lifetime. There were no more captivating philosophers than Plato and Augustine who fed off one another. Even though they were born at different times, their ideas impacted the life they lived in and future lives. St. Augustine was a student of the wise Plato, who fed off his ideas and created his own form of philosophy. Plato on the other hand orbited the idea of the theory of forms which, later St. Augustine incorporated into his beliefs. St. Augustine used the notion of god to resemble his ideas, as well as Plato’s and a mix of Christianity to incorporate his own knowledge. The philosophical views, the ideas of good and†¦show more content†¦Another similarity they both share is the position of life is really death. To them the afterlife is the heaven or paradise and earth is just preparing us to get there. Plato describes that life on earth is to prepa re the soul for existence in the afterlife. Saint Augustine shares a similar view in that who knows where people and bodies came from. Did god create us or did we just magically show up. After people die they can leave their life on earth behind them and spend eternity with god. The free soul can go to heaven where his bodily desires will no longer impede his attempts at reaching the true joy of knowing God. Augustine’s views are enforced through Christ and Christianity. The time periods brought different perspectives Christianity was very powerful in the time of St. Augustine and was not around when Plato was alive. To Augustine, Christ was God in human form, and his death showed God’s infinite mercy, as it presented Christians with the fact that God is within reach. Both Plato and Augustine offer unusual conceptions of what one must acquire to live a truly happy life. While the conventional view of happiness normally pertains to wealth, financial stability, and mater ial possessions, Plato and Augustine suggest that true happiness is rooted in something independent of objects or people. Though dissimilar in their notions of that actual root, each respective philosophy views the attaining ofShow MoreRelated A Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesA Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas: The Relationship of Soul and Body       The relationship of the human soul and physical body is a topic that has mystified philosophers, scholars, scientists, and mankind as a whole for centuries. Human beings, who are always concerned about their place as individuals in this world, have attempted to determine the precise nature or state of the physical form. 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