Caritas and the formation of political order: Toward a reinterpretation of OF the political doctrine of Augustine Aurelius

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the concept of love (caritas, amor, cupiditas) in the philosophical teachings of Augustine Aurelius, to its full-fledged historical and philosophical reconstruction and to the determination of the political consequences of this concept. The research is based on both the analysis of the author's key works and the elaboration of thematic works of a multi-national corpus of authors, tracing the intellectual path of Augustine Aurelius from the perception of love as a theological, moral category to its transformation into a fundamental principle of the political system of civitas.

The work also pays considerable attention to marking the distinctions between amor Dei (love of God) and amor sui (love of self), which define the ontological architecture of the two "cities" - heavenly (civitas Dei) and earthly (civitas terrena) - as corresponding eschatological perspectives. It is also shown that the concept of ordo amoris ("order of love") in the corpus of structurally formulated ideas of Augustine Aurelius occupies a special place, being not only the norm of Christian ethics, but also a fundamental political principle of the world order. The article also assesses the receptions of the Augustinian concept of love in modern political philosophy and political theology, in particular in the works of Hannah Arendt, Jacques Maritain, Eric Gregory, Hans Jonas, Emmanuel Mounier and Martha Nussbaum. The results of the study show that Augustine's understanding of love as a spiritual force/energy capable of constituting and ordering communities of various scales retains heuristic potential for interpreting political reality, its modalities, development alternatives, and possible crises.

The purpose of our study is a systematic historical-philosophical reconstruction of the concept of love in the teachings of Augustine and the determination of its political content and consequences. The objectives of the article include: (1) the study of the ontological, anthropological, and ethical modalities of love at different stages of Augustine's work; (2) the determination of Augustine's views on the role of love in the constitution of political order, the exercise of power in communities, and the understanding of justice; (3) the identification of directions and approaches to the intellectual reception of Augustinian thought in modern political philosophy and political theology.

The research methodology is based on the textual analysis of the works of Augustine Aurelius and his followers, historical and philosophical hermeneutics, interpretation and an interdisciplinary approach. The use of comparative analysis with modern political models allows us to approach the historical and philosophical reconstruction of the architecture of Augustinian political thought and highlight its potential in solving the urgent political and geopolitical issues of our time.

Augustine's concept of love provides a comprehensive answer to one of the main questions of political philosophy: due to what exactly is the human community possible as a whole? And for the Teacher of Grace, caritas is such a consolidating element - ordered and directed love towards the Highest Good (summum bonum), which creates the possibility of peace (pax) and justice (iustitia) in the civitas terrena.