History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 110 - Life and Time - Augustine's Confessions
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Jan 6, 2013 AI Snips
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Miles Davis Comparison
- Peter Addison recalls a professor who compared Augustine's writing to Miles Davis improvisation to explain Augustine's style.
- The comparison frames Augustine as inventive within tradition and stuck with Addison for decades.
Manichaean Phase And Disillusion
- Augustine explored Manichaeism and astrology as a young man before becoming disillusioned.
- Meeting the Manichaean Faustus revealed style without substance and initiated Augustine's break.
Platonism Bridges To Faith
- Platonist texts taught Augustine that non-bodily things can exist and that evil is a privation, undermining Manichaean materialism.
- Philosophy thus served as a bridge to faith but could not replace Christian revelation.