Invisible Seeds: Life-Concepts in Augustine

Augustine of Hippo marks the boundary between the Hellenistic world and medieval Christendom. He created a new Platonic synthesis of Christianity and Hellenistic philosophy, characterized by a dual creation, hylomorphic biology, and a subjective human soul with both intellect and will. Augustine supported the idea of animal souls and some equivalent organizing principle in plants. His interpretation of invisible seeds and kinds within the invisible creation set up future problems for interpreting biological kinds. His formulation of will and intellect along new, subjective lines changed epistemology and ideas of human identity. It also set the groundwork for Cartesian dualism.