Seeing, Knowing, Becoming: Sense Perception As Metaphor in Augustine

Augustine stands tall in the history of Christian thought as theologian, pastor, and philosopher in equal measure. His work, with its masterful use of language and depth of conceptualization, continues to challenge and resource the theological task. A particular mark of his brilliance lies in his appeal to the commonplace metaphor that the soul is an eye, a move that is not mere ornamentation but rather indicative of a larger, implicit schema. Tracing this schema not only yields an account of what Augustine thinks but also how he thinks.

Amanda Knight presents this aspect of Augustine’s thought as an entry point for his understanding of the reformation of the soul, or "psychological" reformation. To demonstrate this claim, Seeing, Knowing, Becoming divides Augustine’s theory of sense-perception into three major premises or loci held up as analogs for major theological notions pertinent to psychological reformation: the ontological basis that occasions sensory pleasure or pain and the psychological states that afford delight or repulsion in the encounter with God; the psycho-physical mechanism that causes sensory pleasure or pain and the theory of action and of the will; the way in which two psycho-physical intermediaries make vision possible and the way that two epistemological intermediaries, reason and the incarnate Word of God, make the apprehension of God possible.

Pushing beyond the outdated bias that Augustine’s figurative language is merely rhetorical, Knight’s study is consonant with current research in cognitive science indicating the centrality of metaphor to everyday thought and affectivity. Seeing, Knowing, Becoming contends that Augustine’s figurative language is worth plumbing and offers a holistic account of Augustine’s view of redemption, bringing together aspects of Augustine’s view of personal transformation, moral psychology, ontology, and epistemology.

Amanda C. Knight is adjunct instructor of Latin and religion at Longwood University. She completed her PhD at Emory University.