Position Of Humanity

15), Plato has created!.
             a difficulty for humans in the attempt to discover who they are. The notion that the body, half of what a person is, is merely an obstacle to be overcome seems to be an odd and illogical conception. Despite the apparent oddity of the theory, these ideas still have a large impact in both secular and Christian perspectives on the way in which people see themselves today. .
             St. Augustine, following Platonic ideas, applied the division of humanity to Christianity. Augustine's view, summarized by Susan Bordo, is that the body is "an impediment to reason . home of the slimy desires of the flesh" (Bordo, p. 145). Augustine's theory, like Plato's, puts humanity in constant struggle with itself. The spiritual and mental is constantly striving to overcome the material and bodily aspects. These ideas have led to the dualism which exists in most modern Christians" world views. Humanity's position has been put in opposition to material things and the world itself. From a Christian perspective, since God created people, the world, and everything else and then deemed it good, surely humanity's prime purpose cannot be to oppose and disregard these things.
             The influence that Plato's and Augustine's ideas have on modern thought is immense. In modern North American culture, people seem to define themselves by control. Similar to Plato and Augustine, people believe "the body is the locus of all that threatens our attempts at control" (Bordo, p. 145). People believe they become a better person by gaining control over their body, someone, or something. This is evident if one looks at the plethora of anorexics and bulimics, the numerous people that punish themselves lifting weights and exercising, and the hordes struggling to reach the top of the social and economic ladder. The Plutonic theme of control over the body has spread to all most all aspects of life. From gender roles, where husbands are to control the family, to concepts of attractiveness, where people desire to control the way they look, the desire for control is evident everywhere.