Thursday, April 19, 2012

Time, Finitude, Mind

It would seem to follow from Augustine's attribution of immorality to Edenic existence, that his theory of Time would be derived from the fallen condition of humanity, e. g. 'past', 'present', and 'future' derived from the fragmentation into successive finite generations of the race. However, he develops an independent concept of Temporality that is more a precursor of Kantian Subjectivism than a variation on Platonism, i. e. in that concept, the three dimensions of Time are derived from the mental acts remembering, attention, and anticipation. However, he seems to stop short of theologizing Temporality, analogous to the way that Heidegger ontologizes it. Accordingly, the latter reflects Augustine's failure to consider that remembering, attention, and anticipation are themselves functions of an entity that has fallen into finitude, and, hence, that such mental acts might, conversely, be lacking in entities enjoying immortality. So, it is unclear if Augustine's innovative theory of Time is consistent with the concept of Immortality that is entailed by his Theological and Moral doctrines.

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