Augustine Against Academic Skepticism: An Analysis of the Concept of the “Testimony of Knowledge” in the Epistemology of St. Augustine
This philosophical study will analyze the reliability of “testimony of knowledge” as a foundation for St. Augustine’s epistemology. Augustine seeks to refute the traditional aspects of Platonic philosophy by arguing against the skeptic view of knowledge. The ”academic” (aka. Platonic perspective) of the skeptic is founded on the principles of doubt, which denies any absolute certainty in any form of knowledge. However, Augustine refutes this argument by arguing for self-awareness of thought as a basis for existence in the “testimony of knowledge.” This is theory is not unlike Descartes “I think, therefore, …show more content…
For instance, Augustine argues that when the individual is asleep that they know that they are alive, which is problematic. He even presents this argument through the perspective of the academic skeptic: Where even the academic cannot say: “maybe you are asleep and do not know it, and you see in your dreams” (Augustine 64). This is a weak argument on the part of Augustine, since it is apparent that the human consciousness can become distorted when we sleep. More so, the skeptic is arguing that human beings may, in fact, be dreaming of their existence in what is perceived as an “awake” state of mind. However, it is also apparent that the skeptics cannot validate an “awake or “sleeping” state of mind, so Augustine chooses to argue in favor of the validity of testimony as a the only validation for defining one’s own existence. In this manner, Augustine provide s a more “common sense” perspective on human consciousness—even though he cannot specifically define how a sleeping person can be conscious of their existence as a “living being.” In this way, Augustine is refuting the absolutist argument of ‘doubt’ of the Skeptics, which allows for a more pragmatic way of understanding knowledge through the testimony of the …show more content…
In this way, Augustine argues that the individual as an internalized intuition of self-knowledge, which cannot be denied to them. This form of knowledge is based on the testimony of the individual, which is founded on the mind’s ability to discover new phenomenon in nature and spirituality. More so, the collective testimony of others in society also reinforces the notion that an individual is "alive”, as Augustine provides more supporting evidence of the power of mind to confirm this form of knowledge. Certainly, there is some doubt about the differing levels of consciousness in the human mind due to the inability of an individual to think when they are asleep or unconscious. However, Augustine’s main rebuttal of the academic skeptical schools is founded on the common sense attributes of self-awareness that the individual can bring forth when he or she is conscious. In this manner, Augustine is arguing that the human mind is a valid tool in which to confirm the validity of knowledge. This is also true in the way that reasoning, math, and other scientific methods can confirm what exists through the human mind. These forms of knowledge are, in effect, self–evident in Augustine’s perception of human perception in the world. Augustine provides a logical/common sense” view of knowledge that rebukes the
This philosophical study will analyze the reliability of “testimony of knowledge” as a foundation for St. Augustine’s epistemology. Augustine seeks to refute the traditional aspects of Platonic philosophy by arguing against the skeptic view of knowledge. The ”academic” (aka. Platonic perspective) of the skeptic is founded on the principles of doubt, which denies any absolute certainty in any form of knowledge. However, Augustine refutes this argument by arguing for self-awareness of thought as a basis for existence in the “testimony of knowledge.” This is theory is not unlike Descartes “I think, therefore, …show more content…
For instance, Augustine argues that when the individual is asleep that they know that they are alive, which is problematic. He even presents this argument through the perspective of the academic skeptic: Where even the academic cannot say: “maybe you are asleep and do not know it, and you see in your dreams” (Augustine 64). This is a weak argument on the part of Augustine, since it is apparent that the human consciousness can become distorted when we sleep. More so, the skeptic is arguing that human beings may, in fact, be dreaming of their existence in what is perceived as an “awake” state of mind. However, it is also apparent that the skeptics cannot validate an “awake or “sleeping” state of mind, so Augustine chooses to argue in favor of the validity of testimony as a the only validation for defining one’s own existence. In this manner, Augustine provide s a more “common sense” perspective on human consciousness—even though he cannot specifically define how a sleeping person can be conscious of their existence as a “living being.” In this way, Augustine is refuting the absolutist argument of ‘doubt’ of the Skeptics, which allows for a more pragmatic way of understanding knowledge through the testimony of the …show more content…
In this way, Augustine argues that the individual as an internalized intuition of self-knowledge, which cannot be denied to them. This form of knowledge is based on the testimony of the individual, which is founded on the mind’s ability to discover new phenomenon in nature and spirituality. More so, the collective testimony of others in society also reinforces the notion that an individual is "alive”, as Augustine provides more supporting evidence of the power of mind to confirm this form of knowledge. Certainly, there is some doubt about the differing levels of consciousness in the human mind due to the inability of an individual to think when they are asleep or unconscious. However, Augustine’s main rebuttal of the academic skeptical schools is founded on the common sense attributes of self-awareness that the individual can bring forth when he or she is conscious. In this manner, Augustine is arguing that the human mind is a valid tool in which to confirm the validity of knowledge. This is also true in the way that reasoning, math, and other scientific methods can confirm what exists through the human mind. These forms of knowledge are, in effect, self–evident in Augustine’s perception of human perception in the world. Augustine provides a logical/common sense” view of knowledge that rebukes the