2.4 St. Augustine:
Politics in a Fallen World

If Aristotle believed politics could help guide people toward a fulfilling life, St. Augustine (354–430 CE) introduced a more cautious view. Augustine lived during the decline of the Roman Empire, a time of political instability, violence, and uncertainty. In that context, he asked a different question: what can politics really accomplish in a broken world?

Augustine is one of the most influential Christian thinkers in political thought. His ideas matter because he helped shape how later generations understood the relationship between human nature, political power, morality, and the limits of earthly government.

One of Augustine’s most important contributions was his strong emphasis on the fallen condition of humanity.

Building on earlier Christian teachings, he developed the doctrine of original sin in Western Christianity, arguing that human beings are inherently sinful as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden.

Unlike earlier thinkers who were more confident that politics could cultivate virtue and produce a well-ordered society, Augustine believed that selfishness, pride, fear, and the desire to dominate run through human life. People do not simply disagree because they are confused. They also struggle morally.

This made politics necessary, but it also placed serious limits on what politics could achieve. Augustine did not believe government could perfect humanity or create a fully just society. Politics could restrain evil, maintain order, and reduce chaos, but it could not fully heal the human condition.

Augustine is especially known for his idea of the two cities, described in The City of God. These are not two literal governments or two places on a map. They represent two different orientations of the human heart. The City of God is made up of those who love God above all else, while the Earthly City is shaped by love of self, power, and worldly domination. The Earthly City is not limited to people who openly reject religion. It can also include religious people, including church members, if their lives are ruled by pride and self-love rather than devotion to God. In real history, these two “cities” are mixed together. No earthly state is identical to the City of God, and no political order can fully establish perfect justice.

This was a major shift in political thought.

Plato asked whether politics could create justice.

Aristotle asked what kind of government works best.

Augustine warned that politics cannot save humanity. Government is important, but it is limited. Even the best political order remains imperfect because human beings themselves are imperfect.

That did not mean Augustine rejected government. Far from it. He believed political authority still has an important role. In a sinful world, laws and rulers are needed to limit violence and maintain peace. Even imperfect governments can provide a kind of earthly peace that allows society to function. But this peace is limited. It is not the same as true justice or ultimate moral fulfillment.

———

Augustine also helped lay the foundations for Just War Theory, an idea that would become very important in Christian political thought and later in international ethics.

Because Augustine did not believe all uses of force were automatically immoral, he argued that war could sometimes be justified under limited conditions, especially when used by legitimate authority to restrain evil or restore peace. At the same time, war was never to be treated lightly or glorified for its own sake. Augustine’s ideas helped establish the view that even in war, moral limits still apply.

Augustine’s political thought was shaped in part by the sack of Rome in 410 CE. After this shocking event, many Romans blamed Christianity for weakening the empire. Augustine responded by arguing that no earthly kingdom, not even Rome, should be treated as ultimate. Political communities rise and fall. Empires are temporary. Human beings should not place their deepest hope in the state.

This idea still matters today. Augustine reminds us to be skeptical of political movements that promise to create a perfect society, redeem humanity, or solve every moral problem through political power. His thought encourages humility about politics. Government matters, but it is not God. It can do important things, but it cannot fully transform human nature.

At the same time, Augustine’s view can be criticized for seeming too pessimistic. If politics is so limited, some may wonder whether this discourages efforts at reform or justice. Others argue, however, that Augustine’s view is actually helpful because it guards against utopian thinking and reminds us that power must always be treated carefully.

St. Augustine had a lasting impact on political thought because he shifted the discussion from the ideal political order to the moral limits of earthly politics. He taught that political life is necessary, but never ultimate.

In section 2.5, we will look at Thomas Aquinas, who also built on parts of the Christian tradition while taking a more optimistic view of reason, law, and the possibility of moral order in political life.