Medicinal Properties of Augustine

Medicine cures the sickness of the human body, but what is appropriate to remedy the maladies and pains of the human soul? Martha Nussbaum, in her book, The Therapy of Desire, responds to this question by arguing that philosophy has the ability to restore health to the human soul. What's more, Nussbaum also argues that various Hellenistic schools formulated "medical moral philosophies" which had precisely this therapeutic objective. She asserts that examples of medical moral philosophies would include the systems of the Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics, but Nussbaum precludes the addition of what she calls the "Augustinian Christian ethic" from the list of medical moral philosophies. Nussbaum claims that the Augustinian Christian ethic cannot be considered medical because it fails to arise from human needs, desires, and aspirations. This paper will undertake to explain why this position should be rethought. In this paper, I will explain why the Augustinian Christian ethic can indeed be considered a medical moral philosophy concerned with producing happiness and a healthy soul. This paper will maintain that the Augustinian Christian ethic satisfies all the common characteristics associated with any medical moral philosophy. Furthermore, this paper will conclude that Nussbaum's primary problem is one of "human good", since as Nussbaum asserts, the Augustinian ethic fails to place the locus of the human good squarely within human being itself. Consequently, she argues, God's will and grace must be considered the locus of the human good. This conclusion should be reconsidered, and this paper will show, by way of examining the Augustinian ontology, along with the role of grace in the Augustinian world view, that indeed human being and human experience are the centers out of which human well-being and happiness flows. And so, in the final