Augustine: The Good, Metaphysics, and Anthropology

Augustine posited that philosophy, the pursuit of wisdom, ultimately has one aim: happiness.
He asserts that this happiness fundamentally derives from our enjoyment of God.
The concept of the "good human life" or "blessed way of life" (Latin: beatitude) is defined as to love and be loved by God.
Happiness, and what we most want, is what our souls fundamentally desire, beyond basic physical wants, and what is most fulfilling in life. Augustine concludes this is God.
He emphasizes that humans are not merely thinking creatures; we are driven by both reason (head) and heart. This contrasts with Enlightenment figures who focused solely on rationalistic animals, asserting that humans are also driven by their emotions and desires.
The Good is God; the human good or good way is to love and be loved by God.
This idea is so central that it is purportedly the second sentence in his Confessions.
Philosophically, if there is something greater than all existing happiness and truth, then that is the supreme being, God.
Theologically, Augustine emphasizes the Triune God and the implications for human lives, highlighting that humans long to be loved by God, and God desires to save us.
He believed the fullness of flourishing is