Original Sin
The theological and secular concept that humanity inherits the guilt of Adam and Eve's desire for knowledge β also called disobedience.
How We Say It
ΙΒ·rijΒ·ΙΒ·nΙl sin
Where It Comes From
The doctrine was systematized by Augustine of Hippo in the 4th-5th century CE, drawing on Paul's letter to the Romans. Augustine argued that Adam's sin was transmitted to all humanity through reproduction β a formulation that shaped Western Christianity's understanding of human nature, sexuality, and the need for redemption.
How It's Been Used
In theology: the condition of inherited sinfulness requiring divine grace for salvation. Protestant and Catholic traditions understand it differently; Eastern Orthodox Christianity has a distinct formulation. In secular use: applied metaphorically to foundational wrongs that continue to shape a society β American slavery as 'original sin,' the dispossession of indigenous peoples as 'original sin.' The metaphor is apt in that it captures something transmitted, present before any individual's choices, and requiring more than individual effort to address.