Das Böse an Augustinus' Birnendiebstahl

Abstract : In the second book of the Confessions, Augustine flabbergasts his interpreters by exaggerating an adolescent escapade (a pear theft) and making it a monstrosity. He conjectures that the pear thieves might have commited the theft purely for the sake of thieving, and thus, that they display...

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Bibliographic Details
Volume:67
Pages:517-538
Language:German
Periodical:Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie
Number:4
Format:Article
Topic:- Works > Confessiones > Conf. II > Conf. II, 4, 9 - Conf. II, 10, 18
- Works > Confessiones > Topics > [Vol de poires]
- Doctrine > From man to God > Evil. Sin
Status:Active
Description
Summary:Abstract : In the second book of the Confessions, Augustine flabbergasts his interpreters by exaggerating an adolescent escapade (a pear theft) and making it a monstrosity. He conjectures that the pear thieves might have commited the theft purely for the sake of thieving, and thus, that they displayed a kind of evil that is not even presented by the arch-villain of Ciceronian antiquity, the conspirer Catilina. Following Aquinas’ interpretation this comparison has been considered a reductio in most of the relevant literature up to now. This paper presents a different interpretation: Augustine is mostly serious about his claim – and there might be more to his argument than meets the eye. The interpretation developed in the present paper is based on a construal of the pear theft as collective agency.

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