ABSTRACT
Saint Augustine's conception of the evil which threatens the human community on every level is a corollary of his doctrine of selfhood. In political and moral theory 'realism' denotes the disposition to take all factors in a social and political situation which offer resistance to established norms into account, particularly the factors of self-interest and power. Augustine's description of the social effects of human egocentricity or self-love is contained in his definition of the life of the 'city of this world', the civitas terrena, which he sees as commingled with the civitas dei. Augustine's realistic attitude towards government rests partly upon the shrewd observation that social peace and order are established by a dominant group within some level of community. Thus Augustine, whatever may be the defects of his approach to political reality, and whatever may be the dangers of a too slavish devotion to his insights, nevertheless proves himself a more reliable guide than any known thinker.
