St. Augustine’s Path from Love for Philosophy towards the Philosophy of Love

U obraćenju i životu svetog Augustina veliku je ulogu odigrala ljubav prema filozofiji. Toliko je značajan njezin utjecaj na njegov životni tijek da se čak govorilo o dva obraćenja: jedno na filozofiju, drugo na kršćanstvo. Ako bi bilo pretjerano govoriti o dva obraćenja, jer se radilo o istom procesu u kojem je filozofija odigrala značajnu ulogu u Augustinovu boljem razumijevanju kršćanstva, ipak se ne može zanijekati važnost filozofije u njegovoj intelektualnoj formaciji. Ako mu je kršćanstvo predstavljalo puninu, onda mu je filozofija predstavljala značajnu dionicu puta, pridonoseći jasnijem poimanju Boga, te razumijevanju mnogih filozofskih pitanja koja do tada nije shvaćao (stvoreni svijet, zlo, duša). Iz Augustinova se iskustva vidi da filozofija s jedne strane podrazumijeva, a s druge budi želju za znanjem i povećava žeđ za spoznajom (desiderium). No, ne bilo kakvom, već spoznajom istine, radi čega Augustin polemizira protiv akademika onoga vremena koji su pali u skepticizam. Svaka spoznata istina, po Augustinu, čovjeka upućuje na okretanje prema vlastitoj nutrini, te na hod prema Istini, koja, osim što se objavljuje kroz proces spoznaje kao Logos, pomaže čovjeku objavljujući se utjelovljenjem, čime postaje vidljiva i opipljiva. Upravo filozofija u prvom trenutku daje Augustinu najsnažniji poticaj da se podigne iz blata nemorala, površnosti i lagodnog života, svjestan da ne može osjetiti čistoću istine ukoliko sama sebe ne očisti, kao što su uostalom držali filozofi platonske i neoplatonske tradicije. Zapaljen žarom za filozofskom spoznajom i slašću koju u njemu ostavlja okus istine, odlučuje se na moralno življenje, podlažući život radikalnoj promjeni koja ga preporađa i usmjeruje njegov život novim pravcem. Rastvarajući jedra filozofije vjetru Duha Božjega i objave, usmjeruje svoju lađu u sigurnu luku vjere, odlučujući potom cijeli svoj život posvetiti izučavanju filozofije u krugu najbližih prijatelja, tvoreći čak svojevrsnu filozofskomonašku zajednicu. Ukoliko je to prvo razdoblje Augustinova života obilježeno ljubavlju prema filozofiji onda se razdoblje nakon obraćenja ne može razumjeti ukoliko se nema pred očima hermeneutiku ljubavi. Cjelokupna Hipončeva misao biva prožeta »filozofijom ljubavi«, čime integrira dimenziju ljubavi u filozofiju kao njezin bitni dio, što nije bio slučaj klasične grčke filozofije. Ovakav je velik korak mogao napraviti samo zahvaljujući kršćanskoj objavi koju shvaća kao nužnu pomoć da čovjek ne skrene s puta istine u pogrešku i zabludu. Shodno tome, Augustin prihvaća Boga ne samo kao vrhovno dobro ili kao jedno, poput uglednih filozofa svoga vremena, već ga prvenstveno spoznaje kao ljubav, koja jedina daje obrazloženje stvaranja i odgovore o smislu ljudskog postojanja.Love of philosophy played a major role in St. Augustine’s conversion and life in general. The influence of philosophy on the course of his life was so vital that it could even be said that he converted twice – first to philosophy, then to Christianity. If, however, it is an exaggeration to talk of two conversions since the two processes are but one, in which philosophy played a key role in Augustine’s better understanding of Christianity, the importance of philosophy in his intellectual development can, nevertheless, not be denied. If, for St. Augustine, Christianity represented fullness, then philosophy epitomised a crucial segment of his path contributing both to a much clearer conception of God and an understanding of many philosophical questions, which he had not understood up to then (created world, evil, the soul). St. Augustine’s experience reveals that philosophy, on the one hand, implies and, on the other, arouses one’s desire for knowledge, as well as augments one’s thirst for insight (desiderium). Not just any insight but insight into truth, due to which St. Augustine polemicised against his contemporary scholars who fell for and into scepticism. According to St. Augustine, each understood truth directs man to turn to his very own inner being, and to take the path leading to the Truth, which – besides unveiling itself as Logos through the process of understanding – helps man, disclosing itself through embodiment, with which it becomes both discernible and tangible. It is precisely philosophy that provides St. Augustine with the most powerful and timely stimulus to rise from and above the filth of immorality, superficiality and an easy life, aware that he cannot experience the purity of truth unless he cleanses himself first, which is, after all, what the traditions of both Platonism and Neo-Platonism claim. Burning with desire for philosophical insight and the delight that the taste of truth leaves him with, he decides to live morally while radically changing his life and thus becoming re-born and directed towards a new course. Hoisting the sails of philosophy before the winds of the Spirit of God and the revelation, St. Augustine guides his vessel into the safe harbour of faith, deciding to devote his entire life to the study of philosophy in the company of his closest friends, thus creating a philosophicalmonastic community of its kind. If the pre-conversion years of St. Augustine’s life are distinguished by his love of philosophy, then the post-conversion years of his life cannot be understood without the hermeneutics of love. His entire thought is imbued with the »philosophy of love«, with which he integrates the dimension of love into philosophy as its essential segment, which was not the case with classic Greek philosophy. He could take this giant step only owing to Christian revelation, which he holds to be a necessary help to man, preventing him from deviating from the path of truth to the path of error and misconception. Accordingly, St. Augustine does not only accept God as the supreme good or as one, as many reputable philosophers of his time do, but primarily understands Him to be love, which is the only concept capable of providing justification of creation and answers to the questions of the meaning of human existence