ABSTRACT
Augustine of Hippo was born Aurelius Augustinus in Thagaste, Numidia, in North Africa to Monica, a Christian, and Patricius, a pagan, into a tumultuous world. His early childhood coincides with the reign of the Emperor Julian. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth; his family was poor but genteel. What happiness is, how to pursue it, and its relationship to wisdom are questions that Augustine deals with in a number of his works. In Contra Academicos, one of Augustine's interlocutors, Trygetius states, “surely we wish to be happy,” and it is certain that there are few who would want to take issue with this. The plausibility of Augustine's account of the happy life rests on accepting first the existence of God and second that happiness lies in possessing God or at least being devoted to God. Having established what wisdom is concerned with it is a further question of how might acquire wisdom.
