Winston C.

Quilaton
Emmanuel Servants of the Holy Trinity (ESHT)
Special Class on Theodicy
Rev. Fr. Pacifico C. Misajon

Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will: The Argument on the Existence of God
A blessed day to you fr paci! On this special class on theodicy, I am going to discuss with you
a very powerful argument of St Augustine on the existence of God based on his work on
choice of free will.
Thesis: This time, Augustine will seek to prove the existence of God by explaining that the basis of
perception and knowledge implies the existence of something perfect and unchangeable (“fixed,
secure, and unchangeable, incorruptible, and immutable”), the source of Truth or in other way
the Truth which is God. (Next Slide)

Abstract

Augustine's preferred argument is based on the hierarchy of being. Some things are judged to
be more perfect than many others. We believe that living things are more perfect than nonliving. Those
that are alive and can perceive (animals) are seen to be more perfect than objects that exist but are
not alive and could not sense (paper). If Reason and Understanding is considered to be highest,
humans have all these. And we (humans) believe that we who think, sense, and live are even more
perfect. However, the existent human being is not the final key to comprehending truth. For when we
assess Truth (capital T), we do it based on some standard of truths of everything (small t), numbers,
wisdom, goodness, or happiness. Thus, if our judgment is valid, the criterion we employ must be
certain and unchanging. Truths of Numbers and Wisdom are immaterial things that are
unchangeable truths and where reasons come from. However, we do not judge the Truth but rather
we judge by the truth. As a result, the Truth is something above us. This Truth is either God or God
is the cause of that existence of Truth, so is the existence also of the truths of other things, and so
on and so forth, which is in a hierarchical manner. (Next Slide)
Preliminary Questions:

In his On Free Choice of the Will, Augustine gives his interlocutor, Evodius, a ‘proof’ of the
existence of God. Here, he dared him by asking,
“Well, suppose we were able to find something that you had no doubt not only exists but also is more
excellent than our reason. Would you hesitate to say that this, whatever it is, is God?” (2.6.14.54, p.
42) (Next Slide)
This time, Augustine and Evodius begin with three questions:

[1] How is it clear that God exists?

[2] Do all things, insofar as they are good, come from God?
[3] Is free will to be counted among these goods? (2.3.7.20, p. 34) (Next Slide)

I. I Think, Therefore I Am: A Short Background on Existence

Before Augustine gives a brief proof for his assumption, he first proved the assumption that he
exists:

“So, to start off with what is clearest, I ask first whether you yourself exist. Are you perhaps afraid
that you might be deceived in this line of questioning? Surely if you did not exist, you could not be
deceived at all.” (2.3.7.20, p.35) (Next Slide)

From the City of God Against the Pagans Book 11, Chapter 26, Augustine also elaborated these
words:
“I need not quail before the Academicians when they say: “What if you should be mistaken?” Well, if I
am mistaken, I exist. For a man who does not exist can surely not be mistaken either, and if I am
mistaken, therefore I exist. So, since I exist if I am mistaken, how can I be mistaken in believing that I
exist when it is certain that if I am mistaken, I exist. Therefore, from the fact that, if I were indeed
 mistaken, I should have to exist to be mistaken, it follows that I am undoubtedly not mistaken in
knowing that I exist (Green,1957).”
Augustine is clearly implying that your own existence is totally undeniable. Because your existence
is physically undoubtable. Suppose I argue, "I exist," and you are skeptic to assert, "But you may be
mistaken." That's unlikely. (Next Slide) If I'm mistaken about anything, I have to exist first in order
to be mistaken. In other words, I claim that (a) “I exist”, either:

(1) I’m right, or

(2) I’m mistaken.

If (1) is true then (2) must be false. However, in order to be mistaken about the fact that “I
exist”, I’d have to exist first in order to be mistaken. So, (2) is logically impossible. Therefore, (1) is
certain, and I can be undeniably certain that (a) I exist.
This concept is similar to what Rene Descartes famously said about his “cogito ergo sum” or
“I think, therefore I am.” However, Descartes received all the credits instead of Augustine similar to
what he said, “If I am mistaken, I exist.” (Next Slide)

I. i. The Hierarchy of Being

Augustine have proven that (a) “I exist”. Consequently, in order to exist, it must contain also two
things:
b) Alive
c) Understanding
Remember that it is not just to say that I exist but also to be certain that you exist and this constitutes
(a) and (b). Therefore, Augustine placed a hierarchy of being in order.

(c) Understanding

(b) Life

(a) Existence

For him, (c) understanding is superior to (b) life or (a) existence because having understanding
entails having those other two things. For instance, humans have understanding, life, and existence.
Similarly, (b) life is superior to (a) existence because having life entails having existence. For instance,
animals have life and existence, but not understanding. Logically, (a) existence is inferior to (b) life
and (c) understanding. For instance, paper exist, but are neither alive, nor have understanding. Here,
he said, (Next Slide)

“Therefore, a nature that only exists and neither lives nor understands, such as an inanimate
physical object, is inferior to a nature that not only exists but also lives, but does not understand, such
as the soul of animals. This nature is in turn inferior to one that at once exists and lives and
understands, such as the rational mind in human beings.” (2.6.13.52, p. 42) (Next Slide)

I. ii. Reason, Inner Sense, and Sensation

(a) Sensations composes common senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound) while (b) Inner
Sense on the greater part, presides sensations and even creates an action. Above all, (c) Reason is the
ability to the ability to acquire knowledge, understand, and think rationally. Sentient beings, such as
humans, have not only sensations (e.g., sight, smell, touch, etc.) but an “inner sense” which presides
over them, and can move the human to act. Humans and other animals are moved to follow pleasant
sensations and avoid painful sensations but only humans have reason. Only animals have sensations
and sensations, but not of reason. In other words, among sentient creatures, there is a hierarchy of
mental processes:
 (c) Reason

(b) Inner Sense

(a) Sensation

II. Proof of God’s Existence

Remember that the fundamental question is whether there is any proof that God exists. Augustine
asked Evodius, (Next Slide)

“Well, suppose we were able to find something that you had no doubt not only exists but also is more
excellent than our reason. Would you hesitate to say that this, whatever it is, is God?” (2.6.14.54, p.
42)

Evodius responds that being superior to reason alone would not suffice, but being superior among
all things might. We would have discovered God if we could have met that kind of stuff. The following
is Augustine's case for the existence of such a thing. (Next Slide)

II. i. Fixed and Immutable

Augustine begins by emphasizing that everyone of us has our own distinct sensations. For
example, you may ask, "Can you see what I see?" since you have no access to my inner senses, you
only have accessibility to your own. In this way, you won't know what I've known unless I tell you.
However, the object of our sensations must be the same. Augustine says,
“Can you also say that we each have our own Suns that we see, or Moons, or morning stars, and so
on, even though each person sees these things with his own individual sense [of sight]?” (2.7.16.62, p.
43)
(Next Slide) This is especially obvious with sight. We can see the same Moon, or Sun, or
morning stars. Even with sound. We can also hear the same song at once. On the other hand, we can
both touch all of something, but not at the same time. With smell and taste, the object of our sensation
is not EXACTLY the same thing, since we cannot smell the same part of the air or eat the same part
of food in a plate. Thus, we cannot perfectly share these things. For, air, food, or drink have parts
that we take and transform into a part of ourselves. But, with this exception, many objects of
sensation do not become our own “private property”, as it were.” Rather, they are “common public
property”, that is, they can be perceived by everyone without any change or transformation. Augustine
said,
“You should understand ‘private property’ as whatever is each person’s own, which he alone senses
in himself, because it pertains strictly to his own nature, and ‘common public property’ as what is
sensed by all who sense it without destroying or transforming it.” (2.7.19.78, p. 46)

(Next Slide)
a. On Numbers

Are there any objects of reason that we can all perceive with reason without transforming it into
“private property”? Evodius answered, “Numbers”. We can all perceive truths about numbers with
our reason. Numbers do not destroy or change these truths. These truths are “fixed, secure, and
unchangeable, incorruptible, and immutable”. He said,

“seven and three are ten not only at the moment, but always; it never was and never will be the case
that seven and three are not ten. I therefore declared that this incorruptible numerical truth is common
to me and to any reasoning being.” (2.8.21.83, p. 47)

Augustine is not against with his answer. Numbers are already truths. However, Augustine is
looking for the capital T of truth, something that is immutable, fixed and unchangeable. Numbers are
so many and we cannot say that they came from something unless we think that all numbers came
from the multiples of one. For him, all numbers are really just different multiples of one. For
Augustine, all of the numbers that are not ‘one’ do not to exist but rather, they all came from
multiples of one. In math, 1+1 is ‘2’ or 1+1+1 is ‘3’, and so on and so forth. One is also not just
another name for a single physical object.
 “Anything such a sense comes into contact with is shown to be many rather than one, [as
follows]: It is a physical object, and hence has innumerable parts; but not to go over every tiny and
hardly discernible part – no matter how small a given physical object may be, it surely has a right and
a left side, a top and a bottom, a near and far side, a middle and two ends; we must admit that these
parts are present in any physical object, no matter how small it is, and as a result we concede that no
physical object is truly and simply one.” (2.8.22.86, p.47)

(Next Slide) It also occurs to all numbers. We cannot even know other numbers (2,3,4,5, and
so on) without knowing first that they came from the concept of one. The “law” is that for any number
n, the nth number after it is its double, 2n (2s of 1, 2s of 2, 2s of 3, etc.). Augustine said,

“And so will you find it in all the rest as we have found in the first linkage of numbers (i.e. that we
found in one and two), so that by whatever amount any given number is from the beginning, the same
amount after it is its double.” (2.8.23.91, 48)

Thus, even though we cannot sense numbers, we can still know of it because we cannot have
a concept of the physical objects without coming into contact with the non-physical object. Therefore,
there is a great connection of numbers and wisdom as when Augustine changed the attention.

“It is no accident that number is linked to wisdom in Scripture: ‘My heart and I have gone around so
that I might search out and think about and know wisdom and number’ [Ecl. 7:26 (7:25 RSV)].”
(2.8.24.95, p. 49)

(Next Slide)
b. On Wisdom

He claims that wisdom is the truth that determines the highest good and how to achieve it.
Additionally, he believes that happiness is our "highest good." We all desire happiness. Happiness
may take several shapes for different people. I like toy cars and you like dolls, but that doesn't imply
happiness isn't a single good since he believes it is. Despite of having our own private "highest good"
(which is different for each individual), there is still one source of our wisdom, where the private
highest good came from, like there is only one Sun, even if we all sense various things by it's own
light. Each has its own perception of highest good but the source of wisdom or highest good must be
from source of the highest good. Evodius concluded,
“I have no doubt that you can see it too, even against my will.” (2.10.28.111, p. 52)

Likewise, Augustine replied, “I believe you do not deny that wisdom should be pursued, and you grant
that this is true.” (2.10.28.111, p. 52)
Thus, we can now argue that the criterion for finding fixed truth is this, that it must be certain
and unchanging. (Next Slide) Eventually, there are also fixed truths:

• One should live justly

• Lesser things should be subordinate to better things
• Equals should be compared to equals to each his own (2.10.28.113, p. 52)

Therefore, these truths are all parts of wisdom. Moreover, just as we showed that numbers have
a fixed and immutable order, there are fixed and immutable laws of wisdom. Thus, both of them are
unchangeable truths, incorruptible, and immutable.

III. Truth

After proving that there is Truth (truths of numbers and wisdom) particular to reason, it is
important to examine if Truth (Next Slide) is superior, equal, or inferior.

a) Truth is inferior to reason. This is not logically possible because we are not judge the truth but
rather judge by the truth. We may judge about certain things only inferior to reason if they
ought to be or not (human-suited notions of truths) but not of Truth. We are not to say that 1
plus 1, is equal, or not equal to 2, because 2 is actually it is. Thus, “t” is for reason but not for
“T”
b) Truth is equal to reason. This is also not possible because reason always changes. However,
we have proven that Truth is unchangeable.
c) Truth is superior to reason. If the two conditions do not meet the criteria for Truths.
 Going back from our first question, (Next Slide)

“Well, suppose we were able to find something that you had no doubt not only exists but also is more
excellent than our reason. Would you hesitate to say that this, whatever it is, is God?” (2.6.14.54, p.
42)

Thus, if Truth is superior among all things, then the Truth is already something above us. Either this
Truth is God or God is the cause of Truth. (Next Slide)

“Now you had conceded that if I were to show you something above our minds you would admit it to
be God, as long as there were nothing still higher. I accepted your concession and said that it would
be sufficient if I were to prove this point. For if there is something more excellent, that instead is God;
but if not, then the truth itself is God. Therefore, in either case you won’t be able to deny that God
exists, and this was the question we agreed to examine and discuss.” (2.15.39.153, p. 60-61)

Primary Reference:
Augustine, A. (2010). On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other
Writings (Peter King Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
https://www.cambridge.org/ph/academic/subjects/philosophy/philosophy-texts/augustine-free-
choice-will-grace-and-free-choice-and-other-writings?format=HB&isbn=9780521806558

Secondary References:
Augustine, A. (1957). City of God Against the Pagans (W.M Green trans.). Harvard University
Press. https://www.davidsanson.com/texts/augustine-city-of-god-11.26.html

_____________ (n.d.). Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will, 2.3-2.15