Ergo adgredere mecum philosophiam: a função protréptica do contra academicos

Abstract

This research proposes a reading of Augustine’s Contra Academicos through its protreptic character, understanding it not merely as a refutation of the arguments advanced by the New Academy regarding the impossibility of apprehension, but also as an invitation to the philosophical life. Traditionally examined for its logical and epistemological dimensions, this dissertation aims to analyze the work from the perspective of both form and content, considering its literary structure, the construction of its characters, and its pedagogical purpose. In the Cassiciacum retreat, Augustine presents philosophy as a spiritual exercise guided by reason, sustained by otium, a commitment to truth, and inner purification. The prologues of the dialogue reinforce this dimension by portraying the author’s own conversion and the exemplary conduct of his interlocutors, particularly that of Licentius. Thus, in challenging the position of the Academics, Augustine not only affirms the possibility of knowledge but also leads the reader from uncertainty to confidence in the pursuit and discovery of truth, articulating form and content within a unified project of spiritual and philosophical transformation.