What is philosophy, based on Augustine's City of God, Bk. VIII, ch.2?

Philosophy to Augustine is an endless inquiry of things. It progresses the thoughts of the previous philosophers. In book 8, chapter 2 of his book, “The City of God and Christian Doctrine”, he discusses how the pre-historic philosophers inquires the first principle of things to the causes of things and on how these philosophers differs from their answers. For example, Thales thought that the first principle of things was water yet as time went on, some philosophers did not just question about the first principle but cause of all things. Anaxagoras for example, said that the principle of things is that infinite matter consisting of homogeneous particles but it can only exist through the divine mind. The divine mind now is the cause of all things.

Philosophy is an endless inquiry of things because the philosophers mentioned did not just settle to what their teachers has taught them. They seem to be not contented to it so they pursue their own inquiry and brought possible solutions that have wider scope than the previous philosophers. This endless inquiry starts from the same question the previous philosophers asked but they try to discover more and question more the stand of that philosopher widening the perspective. These philosophers knows that there is so much more than what the previous philosophers had known that is why they expand the thoughts and inquire more to know what that “more” is.

To Augustine, based on book 8, chapter 2 of “The City of God and Christian Doctrine”, Philosophy is an endless inquiry of things as there is so much more than what the previous philosophers had known.

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Source:

Schaff, P. (1896). Augustine on Ancient Philosophy (M. Dods, Trans.).
      In Klima, G., Allhoff, F., & Vaidya, A. (Ed.). Medieval 
      Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary
     (pp. 31-32). Blackwell Publishing: Australia.