Augustine begins his theory of privation with the axiom that evil is itself a force, or at least an idea about some kind of physical occurrence. Counter to evil, there exists a ‘good’. Except, in order to overcome the criticism of the Manichean and Epicureans, Augustine chooses to define this evil further, as a degradation of the absolute good. As such, all human beings are really inferior to the good of God, but along the same line, and more importantly, evil is not itself a force, but a relative lack of the good. It follows then that good and evil are both opposite ends of infinity, and man cannot approach one or the other without ceasing to exist, or becoming divine.
However neatly privation of good counters the argument of the Manicheans and Epicureans, privation does not help in the understanding or application of morality. Augustine has, in defining evil thus, laid the groundwork for moral relativism, the concept much paraded about by right wing fundamentalists in describing the woes of modern times. That is, the rejection of the idea of absolute good. If we awe at God in its supreme goodness, don’t we also acknowledge the futility of our own goodness? What’s more, how do we go about determining the less evil of two goods? Augustine has destroyed any authority humanity might have over good. Instead, we are lorded over by an absolute good being, which we can’t help but disappoint every waking moment of every day of our existence. The logic of Augustine’s definition creates absurdity in describing moral situations. Actions are not evil, else they would not exist. Instead, certain actions are simply less good. For example, during the Vietnam War, American forces used the chemical Agent Orange to defoliate the countryside in Southeast Asia. The terrible side effects of this chemical notwithstanding, what good does this chemical accomplish? I would argue it’s a construction of pure evil. Despite Augustine’s claims of the ephemeral nature of evil, of its parasitic nature, it would seem that evil does exist. Unfortunately for the people of many 3rd world nations in recent decades, evil also fits neatly into shell casings and bomb shells.
Meditations on the nature of evil could ultimately lead to conclusions that resemble amoral nihilism. Conceptualizing evil in the relative, any action can be put into terms of the partial good. Augustine has committed a great hubris in overcoming the arguments of his contemporaries this way. The relative estimation of good challenges free will in its relevance. To what purpose free will? Any good created through free will can only be tainted and corrupt compared to the estimation of absolute good, and no absolute evil will ever exist to trouble humanity. What’s humanly possible then is not good or evil but the damnation of mediocrity and the comfort of irrelevance.
Bibliography
Outler, Albert PhD transl. Augustine: Confessions. 1994.
Translation of Augustine’s confessions, whereby he describes his transformation from Manichean to Christian.
Wikipedia, Agent Orange.
Technical breakdown of the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
