Augustine begins by pointing out that a man is in error when he follows the false path. Those who are in error are not necessarily sinners, but those in sin are in error. Augustine attacks the Academicians through the example of adultery--if found guilty he either was in error and sinned or error and sin are two different things because one didn't assent to the truth (or didn't assent to the adultery?): in other words, since I did not assent to anything I can't be in sin--Augustine calls this a monstrosity. In Academician-think then anything is permissible because they assent to nothing--without the assent they are not committing either an error or crime. The rest of the world would think this is absurd.
Augustine then appeals to Platonic thinking to critique the world of the Academicians. The intelligible world is where the truth resides, while the sensual world seems truthlike. In a soul that knows itself, the truth would reveal itself brightly [3.17].
SUMMARY and CONCLUSION
Augustine concludes that whatever human wisdom is he hasn't seen it yet since he is only 33. He concedes that the Academicians have held him up, but he's past that now and will listen to Christ. He will find truth using the Platonists. Alypius reports that he is happy to leave the dispute a happy man. Augustine then finishes by encouraging them to pick up Cicero's Academia to try and get Alypius to take up Augustine's place and defends his points against Cicero, too. The debate ends with a laugh and some relief that it was resolved so calmly.
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