Augustine Contradictions

Contradictions in Confessions: Is there a binary distinction between concentration and distraction?

Augustine’s Confessions is in itself a rather contradictory autobiography. It reveals the inner workings of St. Augustine’s mind, particularly the arduous mental obstacles he faces on his spiritual journey. Readers are exposed to an almost cyclical routine of behaviour in which Augustine descends into a whirlpool of sin, reaches an epiphany and emerges vigorously with newfound motivation. We begin to question whether St. Augustine is aware of how contradictory his own actions play out, and if so, how such contradictions may reveal deeper truths about human nature. Augustine constantly faces relapses throughout the entirety of Confessions,

He remarks, upon hearing the “sweet chants” of the Church, that the “truth was distilled” and had “caused the feelings of devotion to overflow”. (IX.164) Augustine suggests to his readers that truth is synonymous with piety, and that impiety stems from a lack of investigation into the truth. Thus, when he becomes overwhelmed by the sensations produced by listening to the Church music, he begins to view it as a spiritual tool in order to realize a higher “truth”. The reader must acknowledge, of course, that Augustine shares a complex relationship with his sense. In the tenth chapter, the author begins to see how music can become a sensational indulgence and therefore a sinful pleasure. He struggles to reconcile how one mechanism can be manoeuvred into uses of such stark contrast. Music, if we apply Augustine’s method of realization, is a form of ‘investigation’ and it can be utilised in different ways, and depending on how it is used, can have a positive or negative effect. This is not the first binary form of investigation that Augustine comes across; for instance, the application of self-reflection can often be misleading and detrimental to the surrendering of pride – “as if in a mirror” (VIII.1) – but Augustine also suggests that it may be the most essential method of discovering the truth. With

We discover that there is a thin line between concentration and distraction: what can be a mode of concentration for one person may be another’s mechanism for distraction. In a sense, there is somewhat of a detachment between Augustine’s thoughts, his actions, and his words. Whilst he writes many of religious contexts, and in reverence of God, his thoughts are perpetually fixated on the consuming nature of his desires, and his actions even more so. He appears to his readers initially as a man attempting, even struggling, to root himself in spirituality but one who is at least concentrated on the idea of that goal. As Confessions unfolds, the reader starts to question this initial judgement and perhaps realizes that Augustine’s dualistic nature is a mutually dependent one: his focus is fuelled by his distractions, but his distractions also stem from having a