Episode Overview

Podcast: History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Host: Peter Adamson
Episode: 110 - Life and Time - Augustine's Confessions
Date: January 6, 2013

In this episode, Peter Adamson explores St. Augustine’s Confessions, focusing on Augustine’s innovative autobiographical approach, his journey from youthful searching to dramatic conversion, and the profound philosophical inquiries into memory and time that characterize the latter sections of the book. Adamson places Augustine’s story within ancient Christian and philosophical traditions, highlighting the originality and enduring influence of the Confessions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Confessions as an Innovative Autobiography (00:00–03:25)

• Personal Anecdote & Analogy: Adamson begins with a vivid classroom memory: a professor likened Augustine's writing to a Miles Davis trumpet solo—improvisational, traditional yet uniquely expressive.
  • "Augustine wrote the way Miles Davis played trumpet, improvising on traditional themes with the individuality of the artist revealed in the riffs." (00:40)
• Inventing a Genre: The autobiographical narrative was not inevitable but invented, notably by Augustine at the dawn of the fifth century.
• Humanizing the Conversion Story: Contrasted with the superhuman virtue of saints like Antony the Great, Augustine’s story is relatable, emphasizing internal struggle.

2. Augustine’s Early Life and Intellectual Influences (03:26–08:45)

• Youthful Pursuits: Augustine’s intellectual awakening came from Cicero’s now-lost Hortensius, which inspired a love for philosophy before Christianity took center stage.
• Family Context: His pious mother Monica hoped for his conversion; his father aimed for worldly success. The family’s sacrifices for Augustine’s education are noted.
• Intellectual Wanderings:
  • Engaged with Manichaeism—a sect characterized by materialism and a dualistic view of good and evil—which Augustine later refuted.
  • Influence of Stoicism and later, crucially, Neoplatonism via Plotinus and Porphyry, freed Augustine from materialist conceptions of God.

3. Conversion and the Struggles of the Will (08:46–18:41)

• Conflict Within: Augustine’s resistance to full conversion, despite rational acceptance of Christianity, is highlighted as a universal human experience.
  • "Knowing what one should do and refusing to do it." (12:09)
• Famous Anecdotes:
  • The pear theft: Augustine’s youthful sinfulness, even when pointless, demonstrates a human tendency toward perversity.
  • His prayer: "Make me chaste and temperate, but not yet." (14:58)
• Sexual Desire and Renunciation:
  • Augustine’s ongoing attachment to a long-time mistress and the pain of their breakup illustrate the all-or-nothing approach to conversion in his circle.
  • He and his friends saw Christian conversion as requiring total renunciation—career, entertainment, and especially marriage and sexuality.
• Climactic Conversion: In a garden, tormented and at an impasse, Augustine hears a child’s voice—"tole, lege" ("take, read")—prompting him to read a transformative passage from Paul in the Bible, paralleling Antony’s famed conversion.

4. Bridging Autobiography and Philosophy (18:42–24:55)

• Beyond Life Story: The Confessions shift from personal narrative to metaphysical speculation—memory, time, and scriptural interpretation.
• Universal Message: Augustine offers his story as a template—his journey as exemplary and instructive for all.
• Central Tensions:
  • The chasm between human imperfection and divine eternity; even conversion cannot render Augustine fully present, as God is.

5. Augustine's Philosophy of Time (24:56–32:20)

• The Paradox of Time:
  • Augustine confronts questions, such as: How does the past persist in memory? What is the present? Is time real if it is always either not-yet or already-gone?
  • “What is time? If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it, I do not know.” (31:15)
• Analysis via Experience: Using language and music (the phrase “Deus Creator Omnium,” a Miles Davis solo) as examples, Augustine argues that it is the mind that constructs continuity and duration.
• Anticipating ‘Presentism’: Augustine posits that the past and future exist only in memory or expectation, a view still debated by contemporary philosophers.

6. Augustine's Legacy and Broader Contributions (32:21–End)

• Three Masterpieces: Adamson situates the Confessions among Augustine’s major works, alongside City of God and On the Trinity.
• Themes Laid Out:
  • His struggle against Manichaeism and other sects, his stance on grace and freedom, and his engagement with classical philosophy.
• Influence on Later Thought:
  • Augustine’s position that divine intervention (“Take and read”) is necessary for moral improvement, foundational in debates with Pelagianism.
  • His nuanced relationship with pagan philosophers, particularly the Platonists.
• Preview of Next Topics: Future episodes will examine Augustine’s views on communication and interpretation, especially concerning Scripture.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Miles Davis Analogy:
  "Augustine wrote the way Miles Davis played trumpet, improvising on traditional themes with the individuality of the artist revealed in the riffs." – Peter Adamson (00:40)

• Superhuman vs. Human Virtue:
  "Antony was the superman of ancient Christian literature… Augustine was Spider-Man, whom we meet as a conflicted adolescent..." – Peter Adamson (03:00)

• Prayer of Ambivalence:
  "[Augustine] describes himself as praying to God, 'make me chaste and temperate, but not yet.' Such conflict within the will is one of the central themes of the Confessions." (14:58)

• The Puzzle of Time:
  "He asks, what is time? And then, as long as nobody asks me—then I know." (31:15)

• Mind’s Creation of Temporal Extension:
  "Augustine infers from these observations that it is the mind that creates temporal extension." (30:00)

• Presentist Paradox:
  "Past and future things reside in our memory or expectation, and in that way they do exist presently." (32:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:25: Augustinian autobiography and the Miles Davis analogy
• 03:26–08:45: Augustine’s intellectual and family background; Manichaeism
• 08:46–18:41: Conversion struggles, the will, sexuality, the pear theft, prayer for chastity
• 18:42–24:55: Shift from narrative to metaphysics; time, memory, faith
• 24:56–32:20: Philosophical analysis of time, consciousness, remembering and anticipating
• 32:21–End: Augustine’s legacy, themes for future episodes

Summary

Adamson’s episode is an accessible yet philosophically rich survey of Augustine’s Confessions, intertwining biography, psychological insight, and metaphysical analysis. He draws compelling analogies (from Miles Davis to Spider-Man), distills Augustine’s struggle with human weakness, and highlights the originality of the Confessions within philosophical traditions. The episode deftly prepares listeners for deeper explorations of Augustine’s ideas on time, memory, faith, and the persistence of the past as well as future-oriented hope—all of which remain relevant both philosophically and personally.