History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 115 - Me, Myself and I - Augustine on Mind and Memory
30 snips
Feb 9, 2013 AI Snips
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Self-Awareness As Proof Of Existence
- Augustine argues that self-awareness proves existence: "If I err, then I exist."
- This anticipates Descartes' cogito but serves Augustine's theological aims rather than epistemic foundationalism.
Know Yourself To Know God
- Augustine uses self-knowledge to approach knowledge of God, following 'believe so that you may understand.'
- He investigates human mind to mirror divine Trinity and justify Christian doctrine.
Soul, Forms, And Divine Ideas
- Augustine treats the soul as immaterial and superior to the body but inferior to God.
- He holds that knowledge comes from turning to immaterial ideas in God's mind, a middle-Platonist move.