Poznawczy realizm egzystencjalny według św. Augustyna

Augustyn, uznawany często za przedstawiciela poznawczego idealizmu, okazuje się konsekwentnym realistą w swoim rozumieniu poznania. Przemawia za tym jego chęć budowania teorii, która nie rozminie się z życiem; bytowa koncepcja prawdy, która może być absolutna mimo ludzkiego błądzenia, co udaje się biskupowi Hippony dowieść przez odróżnienie jej od teoriopoznawczej; zakorzenienie poznania w duszy, która poznając, posługuje się ciałem; wreszcie praktyczny charakter poznania, ponieważ człowiek chce poznać prawdę, aby posiąść prawdziwą mądrość, która jest podstawą szczęśliwego życia.

Although bishop of hippo did not develop his epistemology in a methodical manner, he determined himself two tasks: aiming towards theory which would not depart from life as well as towards discovering the truth by gaining wisdom which would make him capable of it. As he was getting closer to the second task, an illusion and doubts appeared, but he managed to overcome it by means of original conception of entity which, in christianity, identifies with wisdom. This drew his attention in a direction of internal dimension of human life – a soul which comes into a relation with the truth, overcoming obstacles on the way of a subject to an object, accompanied by threats of sensualism and idealism. Recognition of human soul seems to be the basic belief of Augustine’s realism, but on the other hand by means of distinction of existential truth which allows to reconcile its absolute feature with a possibility of being mistaken. Discussing the corporal, spiritual, intellectual and supernatural vision, Augustine presents human soul as being capable of mystical union with God by the use of the corps and its senses as well. Another reason supporting Augustine’s theory is, in his opinion, its practical nature, as human being wants to recognize the truth, to acquire real truth which is the basic of a fortunate life.