Between Presumption and Despair: Augustine's Hope for the Commonwealth. Issue 4 (7th August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: LAMB, MICHAEL
• Is Part Of: American political science review. Volume 112:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 1036
• Page End: 1049
• Publication Date: 2018-08-07
• Subjects: Political science -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1017/S0003055418000345
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-0554

Abstract

Abstract : 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.