In Medieval Period, one philosopher known as Saint Augustine, also

called Saint Augustine of Hippo, original Latin name Aurelius Augustinus born
Nov. 13, 354, Tagaste, Numidia now Souk Ahras, Algeria died Aug. 28, 430,
Hippo Regius now Annaba, Algeria, feast day August 28, bishop of Hippo from
396 to 430, one of the Latin Fathers of the Church, one of the Doctors of the
Church, and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul.
Augustines adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a
theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written
works, the most important of which are Confessions and City of God, shaped the
practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval
and modern Christian thought.
St. Augustine is remarkable for what he did and extraordinary for what he wrote. If none of his
written works had survived, he would still have been a figure to be reckoned with, but his stature would have
been more nearly that of some of his contemporaries. However, more than five million words of his writings
survive. St. Augustine(354430 C.E.) is a fourth century philosopher whose groundbreaking philosophy
infused Christian doctrine with Neoplatonism. He is famous for being an inimitable Catholic theologian and for
his agnostic contributions to Western philosophy.

Area of Interest: He is the Christian philosopher and theologian, best known for "The Confessions" and "The
City of God." After the authors of the New Testament, he has probably been the most influential Christian
writer.

Contribution: Augustine says, If I am mistaken, I am. He is the first Western philosopher to promote what
has come to be called "the argument by analogy" against solipsism: there are bodies external to mine that
behave as I behave and that appear to be nourished as mine is nourished; so, by analogy, I am justified in
believing that these bodies have a similar mental life to mine.

The Ten Main Contributions of Augustine to Philosophy.

1. Theory of Time: In the Confessions Book 11 Augustine developed a very provocative concept of
time. 2. Learning Language: Augustine attempted to explain how small children learn and express language. 3.
Faith Seeking Understanding: In his Sermon 43.7, 9 Augustine asserted: Crede, ut intelligas ("Believe in order
that you may understand"). 4. Ontological Argument: The writings of Augustine also influenced the subsequent
formulation by Saint Anselm of the ontological argument for the existence of God. 5. Refutation of Scepticism:
The statement of trench philosopher, Ren Descartes (1596-1650), cogito ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am") is
derived from dubito ergo sum ("I doubt, therefore I am") and si fallor sum ("If I am deceived, I am") by
Augustine. 6. Proof of the existence of God from Eternal Truths: Augustine argued that the human mind
apprehends universal, objective, unchanging, and necessary truths that are superior to the human mind itself.
Thus an eternal God exists to explain these eternal truths. 7. Response to the Problem of Evil: Augustine argued
that while evil is real it is not a substance or a "stuff." Rather, evil is an absence of goodness. 8. Divine
Illumination: Augustine developed an epistemology (theory of knowledge) known as divine illumination.
Human knowledge is thus directly dependent upon God. 9. Creation Ex Nihilo: Augustine vigorously argued
that God created the world ex nihilo (creation "out of nothing" or "from nothing"). Certain points of the thought
of Augustine 1,500 years ago are very consistent with the modern "big bang" theory within cosmology. 10. The
Examined Self: In his Confessions, Augustine was one of the first to write in depth about the self, particularly in
relation to God.

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