Summary Of Augustine's Confessions

Macdonald’s critical essay on Augustine’s Confessions explores the motivations behind sin in general. In the earlier part of his essay, he discusses the early parts of book 2 which only suggest that the theft of the pears is unintelligible. However, once Augustine asks the question “What did I love in you, my act of theft?” (2.6.12), it comes to a turning point. Macdonald believes that this question is not purely rhetorical. Some people may think that Augustine is trying to show us that he loved nothing, so the answer would be nothing. Macdonald says that in asking this question Augustine is suggesting that there are motivations for his thievery and he is looking for them since he believes there is always a motivation for doing something (as

He says that Augustine seeks to understand his motivation for the theft of the pears, but in order to do so, it is necessary to first know what delights and attracts that motivation. As suggested in Augustine's commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, people are moved by what delights them and gives them pleasure. Delight, Augustine notes in section 10 of Book 2, is found only in things that we find beauty, worth, the sweetness of unity, or others that the person finds fitting appropriately. By breaking down motivation to the delight that attracts it, it makes sense that people truly aim for objectively recognizable goods. While they may be illusioned, it is still intelligible because what they personally seek is genuine goods. The motivation for the things may be disproportionate, which makes their actions sins.
Given this criterion, there must be an objectively recognizable delight motivating him to steal the pears. Augustine’s commentary on the commission of a crime says that “not even Cataline himself loved his crimes; rather he loved something else” (2.5.11). The pears, similar to the murder, does not have anything that attracts or naturally delights humans. Augustine says “there was nothing beautiful about you” (2.6.12). Thus, there must be another delight that moves him to commit thievery that makes it