Augustine Nature Of Evil Essay

In our life, actions are considered either good or bad. They are rules and laws that are put in place to prevent people from doing wrong and evil to each other. We learn how to make right decisions. We have a sense of what is right and wrong. The leads to the question that ask is something wrong because it is against the law or is it against the law because it is wrong? As humans, we desire a lot of things. We have a desire for safety, money, justice, respect, and infinite amount more. Our desires not being aligned right lead us to wrongdoing. What makes an action evil is not that it is against the law or someone says that it is wrong, but the fact that it goes against virtue and is the product of inordinate desire. In Augustine’s book On

Augustine shows that we should desire the four cardinal virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Augustine shows that these four virtues relate to good by using Evodius to say that “all four virtues that you just described, with my agreement, are present in those who love their own good will and value it highly” (Augustine). Augustine believes that these cardinal virtues are unchanging and eternal, and could be held onto by simply wanting them. To do a good action, one must desire these four virtues over other worldly desires like living without fear. In any evil action, one or more of these cardinal virtues are not prioritized at the top and are below some other desire. With this understanding in hand, it is clear why evil actions are wrong. We can see how inordinate desire lead to wrongdoings in everyday life with another example. Augustine’s idea of inordinate desire applies to what makes an action wrong in our everyday life. Cheating off someone’s test is considered a terrible and despicable thing to do. The person cheating wants to pass the test and do well. The desire to pass a test is not a bad desire by any stretch. However, the lack of desire for justice and respect in this action makes it wrong. Cheating on a test disrespects those who work hard to study and prepare for the test. We have rules and laws against actions like