We are inquiring, of course, about the power of the soul, and the soul has the power to perform all these acts simultaneously, although it may think that it is really doing only that act which implies some effort or, at least, some fear. For it performs that act with greater attention than the rest. To teach these grades to anyone, let the acts of the soul, from the lowest to the highest, be called, first, Animation; the second, Sensation; the third, Art; the fourth, Virtue; the fifth, Tranquillity; the sixth, Approach; the seventh, Contemplation. They can be named also in this way: 'of the body'; 'through the body'; 'about the body'; 'toward itself'; 'in itself'; 'toward God'; 'in God'. Or again, in this way: 'beautifully of another, beautifully through another, beautifully about another, beautifully toward a beautiful, beautifully in a beautiful, beautifully toward Beauty, beautifully in Beauty.'
[St. Augustine, The Magnitude of the Soul, McMahon, tr., in Writings of Saint Augustine, Volume 2, Ludwig Schopp, ed., CIMA Publishing Co., Inc. (New York: 1947) pp. 146-147.]
What does the soul, or the human being qua alive, do? It holds together and maintains the body (Animation), interacts with its physical environment like other animals (Sensation), acts in a way distinctive to it as rational (Art, Virtue), purifies itself for higher good (Approach), and is united with supreme good (Contemplation). Thus is the fullness and beauty of human life according to Augustine.
| Augustine's Ascent of the Soul | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Step | Animation (Being Alive) | Of the Body | beautifully of another |
| Second Step | Sensation | Through the Body | beautifully through another |
| Third Step | Art (Productive Skill) | About the Body | beautifully about another |
| Fourth Step | Virtue | Toward the Soul | beautifully toward the beautiful |
| Fifth Step | Tranquillity | In the Soul | beautifully in the beautiful |
| Sixth Step | Approach (Entry) | Toward God | beautifully toward Beauty |
| Seventh Step | Contemplation | In God | beautifully in Beauty |
