Historically, women have always been under the control of male dominance and their value was measured based on their biology. The inequality of the sexes has its roots in the birth of the world, when Eve was created from Adam's side and thus woman was immediately demoted to a secondary position. Since then, women have been relegated to their corporeality while men have been associated with reason and intellect. Consequently, because women have been associated with a body, they have been virtually excluded from the canons of Western philosophy that celebrated the mind and condemned the body. Even though women have been omitted from the canon, the texts still inscribe their nature. The message regarding the nature of women is sometimes direct, sometimes just a brief comment, however it is always brutal and cruel. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay St. Augustine's important autobiographical Confessions presents the nature of women by providing both positive and negative opinions about women that are complex and often contradictory. However, the play clearly emphasizes the superiority of men and places women as inferior. In the Confessions, Augustine places women and men on the same spiritual level, but this in no way means that they are equal in the world. He clarifies his statement by saying that «in reality, as an incarnate creature, woman is “physically subject” to man, just as natural impulses should be subject to reason». Augustine, simply put, associates woman with appetites and the body and subordinates her to man. St. Augustine's belief in the inferior status of women is seen especially in his interpretation of the creation of Adam and Eve, as well as in his interpretation of the Fall. Augustine underlines that God first created man and then formed woman from the rib of man to indicate the relationship of subjection and superiority between them. For him it is indisputable that woman must be submissive to man since "the hierarchy of the sexes is part of the original plan of creation", it is therefore natural that man governs woman and woman serves him, as is clear from the order of creation and the intention of God. In the interpretation of the Fall, Augustine touches on the rationality of women which, in his opinion, is inferior to that of man. He demonstrates this by saying that the serpent began to tempt Eve, who as a woman, had less control over herself so it was easier to deceive her than Adam, who as a man, was more rational and would not have been naive enough to submit. Finally, Augustine's concept of marriage also explicitly supports his belief in the subservient role and inferior status of women. Marriage, in his view, is a relationship between master and slave. In marriage, one should not take any decision alone and her most important duty is to serve her husband and carry out his orders. Furthermore, Augustine argues that if a wife behaves independently it is the husband's obligation to subdue her and in that case, a man is permitted and justified to inflict corporal punishment such as beatings on a disobedient woman. Please note: This is just an example Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay A good Christian wife should remain completely obedient to her husband even if he is philandering and abusive. Augustine even suggests that the wife is responsible for her husband's sexual affairs since "marriage is supposed to channel and control the male libido by keeping it tied to a single vessel, and if this does not happen, the wife has failed.".