Argument_and_Logic

Augustine on God and Time “Why did God choose to create the world at the time he did and not at some other'” As Augustine questioned, he believed that Plato and Plotinus’s assumption was false, maintaining that God does not exist in time; instead, time began with the creation by God of the world. By the very notion that Augustine goes through great lengths to support his position of a false assumption, is the very definition of an argument. It is evidence that as Augustine started his walk in Christianity, he became saturated with the teachings of the Platonists. His faith was so strong and he was so opinionated about it that anything that he found consistent, he adopted; anything contrary to the faith was amended. By definition, Logic, the study of correct inference, is concerned with whether and to what extent a reason truly does support a conclusion. This concept is indeed relevant in the reading when St. Augustine regarded Plotinus and Plato as having prepared him for Christianity by exposing him to important Christian principles before he encountered them in scripture. Augustine had a very strong inclination toward skepticism and was tempted to believe that “nothing can be known.” Plato and Plotinus enabled Augustine to overcome this inclination. Strengths and Weaknesses One way of looking at these options is to say to oneself, “As to who’s strength and weaknesses do you speak of.” On one hand, it’s apparent that Augustine’s teaching of Christianity was that of his own interpretation. He took what he learned and interpreted and began to teach from that aspect, but is that the correct module to teach from' Are we in fact learning the true essence of Christianity from him or are we learning HIS views and opinions. Philosophy boarders on the process of debating, which though the art of persuasion, one side often prevails over the other side by presenting a superior "context" and/or framework of the issue. This in fact can be viewed as a weakness to one opponent, but is it truly a complete form of weakness no to get others to “see” your way than for them to just analyze it differently'