Sustaining Temporal Peace: A Worldview for Sustainable Living Inspired by Saint Augustine’s Philosophy

Abstract

My paper aims to use the philosophical resources of Saint Augustine’s thought, particularly as found in the City of God, in order to sketch a basic worldview which can educate and lead people towards living lives that promote sustainable development. Specifically, I wish to show how Saint Augustine’s concepts of order, rightly ordered love, and temporal peace can serve as material to create a rough metaphysical framework in which human beings are understood to be an integrated part of a greater whole which is the earth. The ethical corollary of this framework is that human beings should act in such a way that does not damage this greater whole but rather preserves its order and integrity. In doing this, I also hope to show that Saint Augustine’s thought can still have relevance for contemporary issues.