Augustine's Invention of the Inner Self

The Legacy of a Christian Platonist

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Religious, Theology
Cover of the book Augustine's Invention of the Inner Self by Phillip Cary, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Phillip Cary ISBN: 9780199882755
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: April 3, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Phillip Cary
ISBN: 9780199882755
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: April 3, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In this book, Phillip Cary argues that Augustine invented the concept of the self as a private inner space-a space into which one can enter and in which one can find God. Although it has often been suggested that Augustine in some way inaugurated the Western tradition of inwardness, this is the first study to pinpoint what was new about Augustine's philosophy of inwardness and situate it within a narrative of his intellectual development and his relationship to the Platonist tradition. Augustine invents the inner self, Cary argues, in order to solve a particular conceptual problem. Augustine is attracted to the Neoplatonist inward turn, which located God within the soul, yet remains loyal to the orthodox Catholic teaching that the soul is not divine. He combines the two emphases by urging us to turn "in then up"--to enter the inner world of the self before gazing at the divine Light above the human mind. Cary situates Augustine's idea of the self historically in both the Platonist and the Christian traditions. The concept of private inner self, he shows, is a development within the history of the Platonist concept of intelligibility or intellectual vision, which establishes a kind of kinship between the human intellect and the divine things it sees. Though not the only Platonist in the Christian tradition, Augustine stands out for his devotion to this concept of intelligibility and his willingness to apply it even to God. This leads him to downplay the doctrine that God is incomprehensible, as he is convinced that it is natural for the mind's eye, when cleansed of sin, to see and understand God. In describing Augustine's invention of the inner self, Cary's fascinating book sheds new light on Augustine's life and thought, and shows how Augustine's position developed into the more orthodox Augustine we know from his later writings.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this book, Phillip Cary argues that Augustine invented the concept of the self as a private inner space-a space into which one can enter and in which one can find God. Although it has often been suggested that Augustine in some way inaugurated the Western tradition of inwardness, this is the first study to pinpoint what was new about Augustine's philosophy of inwardness and situate it within a narrative of his intellectual development and his relationship to the Platonist tradition. Augustine invents the inner self, Cary argues, in order to solve a particular conceptual problem. Augustine is attracted to the Neoplatonist inward turn, which located God within the soul, yet remains loyal to the orthodox Catholic teaching that the soul is not divine. He combines the two emphases by urging us to turn "in then up"--to enter the inner world of the self before gazing at the divine Light above the human mind. Cary situates Augustine's idea of the self historically in both the Platonist and the Christian traditions. The concept of private inner self, he shows, is a development within the history of the Platonist concept of intelligibility or intellectual vision, which establishes a kind of kinship between the human intellect and the divine things it sees. Though not the only Platonist in the Christian tradition, Augustine stands out for his devotion to this concept of intelligibility and his willingness to apply it even to God. This leads him to downplay the doctrine that God is incomprehensible, as he is convinced that it is natural for the mind's eye, when cleansed of sin, to see and understand God. In describing Augustine's invention of the inner self, Cary's fascinating book sheds new light on Augustine's life and thought, and shows how Augustine's position developed into the more orthodox Augustine we know from his later writings.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Ancestors in Our Genome by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book A Diplomatic Revolution by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book The Politicization of Islam by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Sun Tzu and the Art of Business by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Teaching with Vitality by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Distributive Principles of Criminal Law by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book To Stand with the Nations of the World by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Hillbilly by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy of Macromolecular Assemblies by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Can Animals Be Persons? by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Revolution and the Word by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book The Art of Music Production by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book Values, Political Action, and Change in the Middle East and the Arab Spring by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book We'll Have Manhattan by Phillip Cary
Cover of the book The New American Militarism : How Americans Are Seduced By War by Phillip Cary
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy