Reforming the Eyes of the Heart: Sense-Perception as a Conceptual Metaphor in Augustine

• Main Author: Knight, Amanda C
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2021
• Subjects: Aesthetics; Christianity; Metaphor; Ontology; Philosophy; Religious history; Theology
• ISBN: 9798534695823

This dissertation argues that Augustine’s theory of sense-perception forms a conceptual metaphor which fundamentally structures his theological thought concerning the reformation of the soul. An account of how this metaphor operates, therefore, yields a basic schema, a system of relationships, by which Augustine understands psychological reformation. To demonstrate this claim, Augustine’s theory of sense-perception is divided into three major premises or loci which are then shown to function as analogues for major theological notions pertinent to psychological reformation. The first chapter analyzes Augustine’s understanding of sense-perception, establishes these three loci, and introduces the way in which each locus functions as a theological analogue. Each subsequent chapter then demonstrates these analogous relationships. The second chapter demonstrates an analogous relationship between Augustine’s understanding of the ontological basis which occasions sensory pleasure or pain and the psychological states which afford delight or repulsion when the soul encounters God. The third chapter demonstrates an analogous relationship between Augustine’s account of the psycho-physical mechanism which causes sensory pleasure or pain and major elements in his moral psychology, including his theory of action and his understanding of the will, which explain the causes of the will’s assents or dissents. The fourth and final chapter demonstrates an analogous relationship between Augustine’s understanding of the way that two psycho-physical intermediaries make vision possible and the way that two epistemological intermediaries, reason and the incarnate Word of God, make the apprehension of God possible. The conclusion of this study, finally, offers a sketch of the broad strokes of Augustine’s understanding of psychological reformation, bringing together the insights of all the chapters.