Friendship and Society: An Introduction to Augustine's Practical Philosophy (review)

Donald X. Burt, O.S.A. Friendship and Society: An Introduction to Augustine's Practical Philosophy. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999. Pp. xii + 239. $18.00.

This book is a welcome addition to Donald X. Burt's 1996 Augustine's World: An Introduction to His Speculative Philosophy. As the title of the book suggests, the present volume is an introduction to Augustine's practical philosophy on subjects such as ethics and political philosophy. It aims at introducing Augustine's thoughts to a non-academic English-speaking audience. The book consists of eleven chapters: the first four explore the foundation of Augustine's ethical and political philosophy, whereas the remaining chapters explicate the application of the general theory. The book also includes an index and a bibliography for further readings.

In chapter 1, "The Human Predicament: Alienation and Affections," Burt lays out the starting point of the whole volume by pointing out that, according to Augustine, disordered love is the condition that brings upon alienation. Alienation is the worst human predicament that the human race is facing--we are alienated from ourselves, from other human beings, and ultimately from God. This is the root of all moral and societal problems. But friendship (with oneself, with others, and with God), Burt argues, is the remedy that Augustine sees to be the cure of alienation among human beings.

The second chapter deals with Augustine's philosophy of history. This chapter, though taking into account Augustine's other works, relies considerably on The City of God. Burt argues that in studying Augustine's practical philosophy, it is important to study it within its proper context. If history has a rational pattern, then to know the past helps one to make better sense of the present (let it be ethics or political philosophy), and to have some understanding of the direction of the future helps one to understand what one can hope for. This chapter lucidly describes Augustine's theory of the two cities: the city of man (the earthly city) and the city of God (the heavenly city). According to this theory, the human race throughout the history is divided by their different loves into the mirror-images of these two mystical cities. Whoever is dominated by the love of self to the contempt of God belongs to the earthly city, whereas whoever is dominated by the love of God to the contempt of self belongs to the heavenly city. The earthly city is controlled by alienation, whereas the heavenly city is blessed with true friendship with others and with God. Now, we are all on a pilgrimage to the final judgment of the citizenship in the two cities that will take place only at the end of time. In addition to the theoretical explanation of Augustine's theory, Burt does a good job in explicating how Augustine understands some of the most significant biblical events, e.g., Cain's murder of his brother, the tower of Babel, the founding of Babylon, and the coming of Christ, in terms of the pattern of the two cities. Burt concludes that since the membership of neither city is yet fixed, our present task is to have the right kind of ethics so that we can make good progress toward the city of God.

Chapter 3 deals with three general questions in Augustine's ethical theory: (1) "What is good?"; (2) "Why be good?"; and (3) "What are the characteristics of a good person?" The first question leads to Burt's discussion of Augustine's position on true and perfect happiness. To the second question, Burt argues that we can find two authorities for our obligation to act morally: they are the order of the universe and God himself. The third question deals with Augustine's discussion of the virtues, with charity as the foundation of all other virtues. Burt candidly discusses Augustine...