Jennifer Hockenbery

Sixteen-hundred years ago, Augustine begged his African congregants to think rationally, pay attention to evidence, and listen to their neighbors. He knew this would not be easy. He knew that human error is more common than human knowledge. He himself had been a member of an elitist cult for nearly ten years and then had spent several years as a skeptic resigned to seeking wealth and honors rather than hoping for truth or goodness. He would not be surprised by the rise of white supremacist cults or the nihilistic apathy that have arisen in the ""post truth"" era. He had seen nativism, elitism, fear, and doubt rise in response to a crisis of hope that truth could be found, a crisis that led to the use of physical force rather than educated disputation, a crisis that ended in the fall of both Rome and Carthage to Vandals and Visigoths. Augustine's response was to preach publically the hope that encouraged him in his own personal quest for a happy life. This book examines that hope in Augustine's context until the current moment.

Augustine is a philosopher who expanded the widely accepted ancient paradigm of philosophy from an erotic pursuit of wisdom to include the uniquely Christian idea that the philosopher is aided in the search for wisdom by divine grace. His new paradigm is more optimistic than the former, for the philosopher, in this view, may rely on more than the desire for wisdom. He or she has the promise that the one who seeks shall find. ;The ancient definition of philosophy, to which Augustine first adhered, defines philosophy as the erotic search for the wisdom which all human beings need. This type of philosophical inquiry can lead to two types of unsatisfying philosophy. There is, on one hand, the potential for adherence to false teaching and, on the other hand, the danger of skepticism. Augustine's experience with both dangers, in the forms of Manicheism and Academic skepticism, led him to look for a new model of philosophical inquiry, which he found in Christianity. This new model of faith seeking understanding relies on the promise that wisdom will be made known. As such it not only evades the dangers of the erotic paradigm, it is founded on premises which, although believed with faith, are supported by lived experience. ;My conclusions are two-fold. First, in regard to Augustinian scholarship, modern historians too often attempt to carve Augustine's philosophy away from his theology. An examination of his paradigm of philosophy reveals that such division misconstrues his work, for his Christian belief informed his philosophical quest making his theology indispensable to his philosophy. Second, in regard to contemporary philosophy, Augustine's work is too often passed over in silence. An exposition of the distinctive nature of Augustine's philosophy shows a system of thought that neither ignores nor accepts skepticism but confronts doubt, emerging with new hope for the continued pursuit of wisdom. In an age in which philosophy is becoming increasingly skeptical, this view deserves a hearing. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of Augustine's optimistic view of philosophy proves fruitful not only for the study of the history of philosophy but for the future flourishing of philosophy

""Serious philosophy is not an attempt to construct a system of beliefs, but the activity of awakening, the conversation passionately pursued. Only if professional philosophy reclaims this paradigm and finds ways to embody it, will it achieve an active place in the thought and life of our culture."" --James Conlon, ""Stanley Cavell and the Predicament of Philosophy."" This book is a collection of serious philosophical essays that aim to awaken readers, teachers, and students to a desire for conversation passionately pursued. The essays in this volume speak about sex, movies, poetry, and politics, in short, about those things contemporary Americans passionately discuss. These are the subjects that were taught for forty-three years in James Conlon's classroom at Mount Mary University, a Catholic urban university for women in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This volume celebrates Conlon's work while calling to all who continue to teach and learn about philosophy in contemporary times with the message that relevant philosophy deals with life as it is lived in the moment. ""Dr. Conlon made it his life's work to bring to consciousness an often unconscious awareness that accepts the way things are as the measure of what is real, normative, and moral. His commitment to awakening people to the wonder of common experience made a profound contribution to the mission of Mount Mary. The essays in this volume are a testament to the way he engaged students in the process of living a fully human life."" --Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, Mount Mary University ""True to the spirit of Professor Conlon's teaching, this collection illustrates how his approach made philosophy a genuine dialogue, brought diverse viewpoints and perspectives to bear on any problem, and engaged generations of women in the philosophical conversation."" --Kathleen Poorman Dougherty, Alma College ""This collection of always thoughtful and often provocative essays by James Conlon, his colleagues, and students honors Conlon's decades-long career at Mount Mary University dedicated to teaching the practice of philosophy... Both new and experienced teachers of philosophy will find insights and inspiration in this volume!"" --Donna Engelmann, Alverno College ""Just in Time celebrates the work of the philosopher James Conlon. It also honors the pedagogy of inquiry that has had a profound impact on the students he taught for over 40 years. Conlon's essays are paired with ones from his students and colleagues--testaments to the influence that his teaching has had. Readers will be challenged to pursue passionate conversations and inspire others to engage in thoughtful inquiry about the relevant topics of today."" --Eileen Schwalbach, Former president, Mount Mary University Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Mary University. She is the author of Thinking Woman: A Philosophical Approach to the Quandary of Gender and the editor of The Devil's Whore: Reason and Philosophy in the Lutheran Tradition. James Conlon is Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus at Mount Mary University where he taught for forty-three years. He is the author of numerous philosophical articles.

This article analyzes the philosophical reasons behind Augustine's use of gendered pronouns for God in the corpus of his works. As a Roman rhetorician and African preacher and bishop, Augustine's thoughtful use of he, she, and it for God corresponds to ideas about the nature of the divine and the relationship of the divine to the believer. The article argues for a literal translation of Augustine's pronouns in order that his subtle philosophical and theological claims not be lost in translation.