Augustine philosophized that evil exists because of free will; God has allowed humans to freely choose the kind of life they will lead and the actions they will take, yet unfortunately this results in inevitable evil. The soul must overcome these temptations to reunite with God in the eternal. Augustine refers to this Platonic "ascent of the soul" in book 9 of his Confessions where he recounts his journey towards God facing his conversion and his exit from secular life. He speaks of his baptism with Alypius and Adeodatus and of his readings and writings on Neoplatonic views of Christianity. Drawing on these influences from Plato, Augustine concluded that, instead of trying to see the existence of the transcendent in other beings, one must realize that the presence is everywhere, including within, no matter how compromised the soul may have become, thus demonstrating that everyone owes their existence to God. Augustine reiterates this concept by saying: «Some, to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, what do you want to find out, never wrote that book in ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things He had done. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?" (Augustine). Augustine states that God created all beings with the intent of purity in all, even when they are like him