| ID | 162225 |
| Title Proper | Between Presumption and Despair |
| Other Title Information | Augustine's Hope for the Commonwealth |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | LAMB , MICHAEL |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Many political theorists dismiss Augustine as a pessimist about politics, assuming his “otherworldly” account of love precludes hope for this-worldly politics. This article challenges this pessimism by applying recent research on Augustine's “order of love” to reconstruct his implicit order of hope. Analyzing neglected sermons, letters, and treatises, I argue that Augustine encourages hope for temporal goods as long as that hope is rightly ordered and avoids the corresponding vices of presumption and despair. I then identify “civic peace” as a common object of hope that diverse citizens can share. By recovering hope as a virtue and reframing civic peace as a positive form of civic friendship, I argue that Augustine commends a hope for the commonwealth that avoids both presumption and despair. I conclude by analyzing how Augustine's vision of the commonwealth can inform contemporary political theory and practice. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol. 112, No.4; Nov 2018: p.1036-1049 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review 2018-10 112, 4 |
| Key Words | Commonwealth |