the Augustinian and Aristotelian doctrines of love, sec
Xii INTRODUCTION gravity as a spirit by love, whichever way it is movedJ To show how the spirit of man is borne upward by eros or cupiditas, how it is moved to accomplish or perpetrate all the worldly things it has done, is doing, and shall do in the course of its earthly existence, is the chief burden of St.
Augustine's political theory as of his philosophy of history.
Epitomizing his thought on politics and history in a brief paragraph of The City of God, St. Augustine begins by noting the obvious truth that, despite the bonds of a conmion nature, mankind the world over is divided against itself. What all human beings, men, women, and children, ultimately desire is, of course, peace and happiness. Unfortunately, their passions and appetites prompt them to pursue these ends in such a way that the satisfaction of one person often, if not always, involves the frustration of another.
Conflicts occur; the strong overcome the weak, and the vanquished, "preferring any sort of peace and safety to freedom itself," readily submit unconditionally to the victors. This is so usual, St. Augustine remarks, that, in all parts of the world, men "who choose to die rather than be slaves have been greatly wondered at." Indeed, it seems as if nature itself speaks as with one voice among all peoples, advising them to submit to a conqueror's will rather than risk total annihilation in prolonged conflict. "Thus it happens," St. Augustine concludes, "(but not without God's
7. De civitate Dei, XI, 28. For a fuller comparison of the Augustinian and Aristotelian doctrines of love, sec St. Augustine, The Enchiridion, ed. H. Paolucci, Chicago, 1961, pp. xi-xviii.