Introduction
Ancient Greece was the home of philosophy, and people such as Plato laid the foundation for future thinkers. Even though, over centuries, new ideas arose and became popular, the concepts, methods, and views promoted by Plato stayed relevant and were incorporated into the philosophical positions of numerous other theorists.
Augustine is one of the most notable people in the western tradition who has experienced the impact of Plato’s ideas on his work. Specifically, Plato and Augustine share a similar view in the field of metaphysics, a branch of philosophy which concerns abstract phenomena such as space and time (BieMiller, 2019). The particular abstract topic in which both Plato and Augustine were interested was the concept of the divine. Plato believed that every object had its abstract and divine form, which constituted its original image (Plato, 2015). Augustine based his ideas on the concept of the divine proposed by Plato and postulated that God was the source of all ideal forms (Saint Augustine, 2002). Thus, Plato’s perspectives significantly affected the theories proposed by Augustine, yet there were also differences between their views on metaphysics.
Main Ideas
First of all, it is important to offer a more detailed insight into the particular position of the two philosophers on metaphysics and concepts such as the divine. As mentioned above, Plato’s main idea concerned the theory of forms. Plato believed that there were two realms which existed simultaneously, namely, the physical one and one of the forms (Plato, 2015). The physical realm consists of ordinary objects which people interact with numerous times every day, for instance, vases or tables. Yet, there is also the realm of the forms, which also can be called the realm of ideals and the spiritual realm. Such a realm consists of abstract concepts and ideals which are perfect and are not subject to time and space. The forms constitute the original sources of the objects and phenomena which exist in the physical world. Essentially, a phenomenon such as a just decision is only one instance of the ideal form. Plato believed that the forms were divine, as well as singular, immortal, and not subject to any changes (Plato, 2015). Thus, Plato made a clear division between two worlds and considered forms to be divine.
Augustine was a Christian scholar, yet he is also considered one of the main representatives of the Neoplatonism movement in philosophy. As an Early Christian, Augustine engaged in the creation of the philosophical foundation for his religion. Augustine valued the contribution of Plato to the field of philosophy and, particularly, his school of thought. Augustine believed that Plato’s ideas were consistent with the Christian beliefs and therefore used some of his ideas in his own theories. Specifically, the primary area of Plato’s philosophical work on which Augustine focused was metaphysics which ultimately shaped Augustine’s own view of God. Augustine was confident that God constituted the original source of absolute truth and good which reflected Plato’s theory of forms. For Augustine, God was the source of all forms, and subsequently, all of the objects and phenomena existing in the physical world were manifestations of the ideals kept in the mind of God (BieMiller, 2019). The Neoplatonic views of Augustine also were, to an extent, consistent with the core Christian belief that all humans are created in the image of God.
Similarities
Based on the information presented above, it is clear that Plato and Augustine shared certain similar ideas. In fact, Augustine, since he was familiar with certain texts of Plato, used the ideas of the Greek philosopher and incorporated them into his own version of metaphysics. The core similarity in the views of Plato and Augustine is the universe or the world, which is divided into parts or branches. Essentially, both thinkers recognized the existence of the realm which was intelligible, which was home to the absolute truth and sensible world which could be understood and perceived through senses such as sight and touch. Although the idea of such a bifurcated world initially belonged to Plato, Augustine adopted it and successfully integrated it into his vision of Christian metaphysics. Moreover, both Plato and Augustine considered the intelligible realm as the original source of the divine. Essentially, both philosophers recognized the supremacy of one realm over the other and claimed that there was a clear division between them.
Another metaphysical element which both Plato and Augustine viewed in a similar fashion was the soul. According to Plato, “Of all the things which a man has, next to the gods his soul is the most divine and most truly his own” (Plato, 2015, p. 274). Thus, Plato considered the soul to be divine and an inalienable part of every human being. Additionally, both thinkers believed that the ultimate mission for every individual, or rather their soul, was the achievement of the union with the eternal and transcendent realm (Nightingale, 2021). As Augustine wrote, “When I seek you, my God, I seek a blessed life. I shall seek you, so that my soul may live” (Saint Augustine, 2002, p. 59). Essentially, Augustine states that the only way for him to save his soul was to try to adhere to God’s will. Since Plato and Augustine highlight the significance of the soul, they subsequently draw a line between the soul and body. Thus, Plato and Augustine focused on the importance of the soul as the means to explore the higher realm and denied the value of the body.
Differences
At the same time, since Augustine not only borrowed the ideas first introduced by Plato but also changed them, the perspectives of the philosophers differ to a certain extent. The primary difference lies in the fact that Plato did not recognize God as the source of all forms and subsequently of the intelligible realm. Yet, Augustine, in his turn, considered God to be the entity from whose mind all objects and phenomena in the physical world came. Plato was not Christian since he lived many years before Christ, and therefore his views were not subject to the concept of one God. Augustine used Plato’s theory of forms and the higher realm and adjusted it to fit the Christian metaphysical narrative. Moreover, Augustine switches the focus from the realm of Forms being the source of the divine to God being the source of the divine. Augustine wrote, “it is sacrilegious to imagine that there was something located outside of himself” (Saint Augustine, 2002, p. 138). Such an idea shows that Augustine was confident that no form or image could exist outside of God and his divine mind.
Additionally, there is a series of other differences in the perspectives of Plato and Augustine in the field of metaphysics. For instance, according to Plato, the demiurge created the universe from the materials and forms which already existed, while Augustine adhered to the idea that God created the universe from nothing (Nightingale, 2021). Plato states that the world is beautiful because it is its inherent attribute and not because it was made by a deity in such a way. It is clear that such an assumption opposes the perspective of Augustine, who believes that God creates reality. Once again, the difference in the views of the two philosophers stems from their perception of the divine. Augustine’s perspective that God is the source of the divine does not correlate with that of Plato. Thus, despite the fact that the two thinkers share certain similarities in their metaphysics, they also have considerable differences.
Conclusion
Augustine managed to incorporate the ideas of Plato in the field of metaphysics into his work, yet the two thinkers also shared several differences. When Augustine was exposed to the ideas of Plato, he decided to adjust them to fit the Christian perspective. As a result, Augustine was inspired by the idea of a bifurcated world proposed by Plato. Such a world implied dividing the world into two realms, an intelligible and a physical one. Additionally, both Plato and Augustine drew a line between soul and body and claimed that the former had to seek to explore the higher realm. At the same time, Plato considered that the intelligible realm belonged to the forms, ideals of objects, and phenomena found in the physical world. Augustine believed that the higher realm belonged to God, who was the source of all forms and ideas which eventually manifested themselves in the world inhabited by people.
References
BieMiller, M. (2019). Augustine and Plato: Clarifying misconceptions. Aporia, 29(2), 33–43.
Nightingale, A. (2021). Philosophy and religion in Plato’s dialogues. Cambridge University Press.
Plato. (2015). The Plato collection. Catholic Way Publishing.
Saint Augustine. (2002). The confessions of St. Augustine. Courier Corporation.