This dissertation examines the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, arguing for the importance of "the fall" of mankind for contemporary political life. Augustine believes that human nature was shaped by a cataclysmic fall from grace. His influential interpretation of the Biblical story is well-known, and yet the political features of this account have not been subjected to a systematic study. This work aims to remedy this shortcoming by wrestling with Augustine's presentation of the fall across a wide variety of political concerns. The dissertation proceeds in four substantive chapters, each of which deals with a different sphere of human endeavor or hope. Chapter one considers Augustine's account of work before and after the fall, and compares his view with the more contemporary and secular ideas of Karl Marx. The second chapter analyzes the effect of the fall on human sociality. It makes the case that Augustine sees a duality in mankind's originally social nature. In the third chapter, I contend that Augustine sees the basic political problems of desire and mortality as dominating the life of mankind as a fallen creature. It is the fall that transforms these things into problems for us. Finally, the fourth chapter gives an original account of Augustine's treatment of glory-seeking. From all these chapters a surprising conclusion can be drawn: the idea of human corruption, far from simply denouncing humanity as depraved, articulates a much more nuanced, balanced, and ultimately realistic account of political life.
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