Intellectual Conversion in Book 7 of the Confessions

Abstract

In light of the recent publication of Brian Dobell's work, Augustine's Intellectual Conversion, this study argues that Book 7 of the Confessions is an argument of narrative form seeking to move the reader towards his/her own intellectual conversion. It draws parallels between the argument presented by Augustine and that of Bernard Lonergan in his work Insight, and the implications these have for the problem of evil and the notion of consciousness. It concludes by noting the contemporary relevance of intellectual conversion for the current debates on atheism.