Reading Guide #2, for Augustines Confessions, Bks 7.5 8 Essay

Reading Guide #2, for Augustines Confessions, Bks 7.5 8 - Essay Example A human has to understand what is bad to see what is good. It is impossible to judge without knowing and experiencing. Therefore, God lets people face evil to make them understand what good really is and how valuable it is. People appreciate good after being exposed to evil. Otherwise, they would simply fail to know what good means and why good is essential for them. It is a trivial metaphor but it is very precise: there is no light without shadow and there can be no good without evil. Hence, I do not agree with Augustine that evil does not exist as evil is a part of the multifaceted world. Augustine is strongly opposing sex as he sees it as â€Å"the vileness and the shame† (Augustine Bk 8, Ch. 11, par. 26). The thinker sees attraction to sex as certain kind of return to the life without God, i.e. life without knowledge and enlightenment. He sees people as creatures who focus on their desires that have nothing to do with their souls or a better world. This viewpoint is similar to Cyprian’s views on sex. Both saints stress that people have to be virtuous especially those who devote their lives to God. I agree that the priest and those who devote themselves to God have to keep to celibate. However, people living in the secular world do not need to keep to such strict rules. Otherwise, the humanity will simply cease to exist. At the same time, there should be certain purity and men as well as women have to understand that sex is only a part of their lives given by God. It is not a human’s primary concern. People have to focus on self-development thou gh sex should not become something banned or stigmatic. Clearly, every individual desires to have a good family, a decent job, and loyal friends. It is not a shameful desire. However, this is not the finite goal as this is only certain premise for further development. A man can have favorable conditions to live in and strive for self-development. Self-development and impact on the world are two