Augustine /

A volume in "The Arguments of the Philosophers" series is a study of some of the major philosophical themes in Augustine's writings from the point of view of contemporary analytical philosophy. Kirwan (Oxford) previously published Logic and Argument (CH, Apr '79) and translated three books of Aristotle's Metaphysics (Oxford, 1971). Here he provides us with extensive analyses of the arguments found in the text concerning time, free will, and issues that spin out of the problem of evil--God's omniscience and omnipotence, and original sin. Attention is also given to other issues of contemporary interest (skepticism, language, morals, and politics); omitted are discussions of the Trinity, the theology of the sacraments, and also Augustine's argument for the existence of God. Although Kirwan finds that many of Augustine's arguments fail to meet contemporary standards of philosophical rigor, Augustine still emerges as a great and exciting thinker. The author also includes frequent and helpful references to Augustine's Greek and Latin intellectual sources. Since the book demands some philosophical sophistication, it will be most useful to faculty and graduate students. -P. L. Urban, Jr., Swarthmore College