Uma teoria moral sobre a verdade nas obras contra os acadêmicos e o livre-arbítrio de Agostinho

Abstract

The aim of this research is to demonstrate, through an analysis of the works Against the Aca- demics and Free Will, how Augustine conceives the problem of truth by establishing an intrinsic relationship between knowledge and the idea of a moral life. Although the adherents of the Academic doctrine do not deny the existence of a truth and guide men to seek it, they affirm that it will never be revealed. Augustine, on the other hand, when dealing with this problem, reflects on the way in which man searches for truth and how it can be found. Consequently, he states that the wise person is not the one who knows the truth, but the one who has it. In fact, is the one who seeks the truth happy, or only the one who possesses it? In order to find a solution to this question, it is necessary to understand, in the philosopher's view, what truth is and how man can reach it. For Augustine, the effort made by the rational faculty alone is not enough for the truth to be known; rather, the foundation of all things is intimately linked to a moral expe- rience which is a condition for a blessed life, just as no one can be good without first acquiring a certain knowledge of what the good is. Nor is it possible to know the truth without practicing what leads to it. The aim of this work is to prove, based on the aforementioned works, the existence of true knowledge in Augustine, which is not limited to merely theoretical knowledge, since the path that leads to wisdom presupposes, in addition to reason, the exercise of an ethical life. Therefore, knowing cannot be dissociated from knowing how to live! Finally, the aim is to present a moral theory of truth in Augustinian philosophy.