2. How does Augustine's disappointment with Faustus's response to his questions further his quest for wisdom?
Augustine begins to realise the appealing elements of the Manichean worldview, not necessarily the worldview itself being appealing. For one, he realises, as he states earlier, that the Manichees pride themselves with what they perceive as 'superior wisdom'. Augustine admits to a feeling of importance as a part of the Manichees. On another level, he begins analysing the content of Faustus, and being a great orator himself, identifies the sophistesque structure of his arguments, not backing the way he speaks with any intellectual power. The "last straw" for Augustine to reject the Manichean worldview comes when he realised that Faustus cannot support his claims by the reality in which we inhabit, and furthermore questions how he can interpret any reality if he cannot even correctly interpret the one which he experiences. This in turn leads Augustine to declare himself out of the Manichees, rejecting the ideas on which he based his reality for the past decade.
Yes, Augustine comes to understand through the long awaited Fautus, who is really unable to satisfactorily address any of Augustine's questions regarding the Manichean understanding of reality and truth, the fallacy of the Manichean position and the realization that great oratory style cannot mask fallacious content.
ReplyDelete