Creation and Extension: Two Dimensions of Augustine's Time Theory
Abstract
Augustine's "Confessions" in the "question time" by later philosophers and spoke highly of the attention, but the emphasis is often placed where "mind stretching" of this dimension, to the neglect of God's creation of this dimension, ignoring the eternal the dimension. In fact, God's creation and the spiritual dimensions of these two inseparable extension, the former provides the latter, to clarify the origin of time; the latter reflects the former, indicating the existence and nature of time. The latter by the former constraints. In other words, there is a limit stretch the mind, is insurmountable. When Windelband stressed Augustine's metaphysics is the "inner experience, metaphysics," he confirmed the view of Augustine's spiritual dimension of time; when Gilson called the "conversion of metaphysics," when it is stressed that "stretch the boundaries of the mind "that is the eternal God's creation. "The question of time" in Augustine's Confessions was extensive concerned and highly remarked by later philosophers. However, they always just paid attention to "Extension of Mind" and ignored the Creation of God and its relationship to Eternity. In fact the two dimensions, ie, the creation of God and the extension of mind, cannot be separated. The former decides the latter, expounding the origin of time; the latter reflects the former, expressing the existence and essence of time. Generally the latter is limited by the former . In other words,, there is a boundary line between them and it can't be surmounted. When W. Windelband emphasized Augustine's metaphysics is "Metaphysics of immanent experience", what he confirmed is the psychological dimension Augustine's time theory; When E. Gilson called it "the converted metaphysics", what he emphasized is "the limit of the mind's extension", namely eternal God's creation