Thread by @alexander_c_lee

Biden’s decision to quote St. Augustine in his inauguration speech today is really *very* significant - much more so than you might think.

A short thread... [1/n]

#InaugurationDay

It all goes back to Cicero.

According to Cicero, a society was a multitude united by a shared sense of what is just and the common good (e.g. Rep. 1.25.39; 3.31.43)

Sounds sensible, right?

Wrong.

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The problem is: not everyone agrees about what is just.

What you think is “just” might not be what I think is “just”. As Augustine argued, even thieves have a sort of “justice” - but it isn’t the same as for everyone else.

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It’s obvious, when you think about it. As Augustine pointed out, there are good and bad people in every society. And as long as there are, there will never be any agreement about what is “just”.

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This means that, if a society is governed with an idea of a “perfect” justice in mind, it will inevitably split apart - exactly like the Roman Republic.

So if people can never agree about what justice is, how should we define a society? And how should it be governed?

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Thankfully, Augustine had an idea...

Augustine believed that, even if we don’t see eye to eye about what is just - or what is good, or any other abstract ideals - there are a few things we *all* hold dear.

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Peace, freedom from want, a good home... These are important for everyone.

To be sure, not everyone values them for the same reason...

Take peace...

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A bad person might enjoy peace for its own sake, and revel in selfish pleasures, whereas a good person might use it to be virtuous and merit salvation in the next life.

But *everyone* wants peace. Everyone.

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So...even if we disagree about everything else, all people - good and bad - share a desire for a few basic necessities (peace, freedom from want etc.).

According to Augustine, these are the “glue” which holds us together in society.

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It was for this reason that he defined a people as a multitude “united by a common agreement on the objects of their love (De civ. Dei, 19.24)

The implications of this are important.

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If a society is defined by the objects of its love, the government’s task is to assure these needs - not to strive for divisive and possibly unattainable ideals.

For Biden’s presidency, this is *really* telling.

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America is divided as never before.

Incredibly, there are people who still doubt the legitimacy of President Biden’s election, who harbour crazy conspiracy theories, and who think “justice” comes from the barrel of a gun .

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If Biden stuck to Cicero’s definition of society, he’d be heading for trouble. But Augustine offers a solution...

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Biden made it clear that he will be *everyone’s* president. And this means tackling the things that *everyone* holds dear: peace, harmony, affordable healthcare, a good future for our kids...

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Sure...It might not satisfy everyone; but it is perhaps the best chance of bringing a shattered nation together - and restoring its hope in the future.

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And *that’s* why Biden’s decision to quote Augustine today is so revealing.

So...there it is. Augustine rocks!

#InaugurationDay #Biden