This volume is a collection of fourteen of William E. Mann’s essays in the philosophical interpretation of the writings of Augustine, Anselm, and Peter Abelard. Directly or indirectly, Augustine sets the agenda for all of these essays. His Confessions records several episodes of philosophical perplexity that Mann examines here: whether infants are as innocent as they seem; whether one can sin in a dream (and not just dream of sinning); whether one can sin just for the sake of doing something wrong; why people enjoy theatrical tragedies that leave them sad; how evil can arise in a world governe ... More

This volume is a collection of fourteen of William E. Mann’s essays in the philosophical interpretation of the writings of Augustine, Anselm, and Peter Abelard. Directly or indirectly, Augustine sets the agenda for all of these essays. His Confessions records several episodes of philosophical perplexity that Mann examines here: whether infants are as innocent as they seem; whether one can sin in a dream (and not just dream of sinning); whether one can sin just for the sake of doing something wrong; why people enjoy theatrical tragedies that leave them sad; how evil can arise in a world governed by a providential God. All but the last are left unresolved by Augustine. Other works of his lay the foundation of a moral theory that stresses the centrality of an agent’s intentions in determining whether the agent has acted rightly or wrongly. It follows, on Augustine’s account, that one can lie while telling the truth and that lying is always wrong. Mann argues that Abelard’s Ethics, written centuries later, developed Augustine’s insights into a provocative account of what sin is. Augustine’s emphasis on “faith seeking understanding” infuses Anselm’s writings; the original title of Proslogion was to have been “Faith Seeking Understanding.” Essays in this volume examine Anselm’s “ontological argument” for God’s existence, including its presuppositions and the arguments against it, especially Gaunilo’s “perfect island” objection. Moreover, Anselm chooses analogies used by Augustine in his attempt to elucidate the doctrine of the Trinity.