Medieval Philosophy Essential Readings with Commentary

by Klima, Gyula; Allhoff, Fritz; Vaidya, Anand Jayprakash

• ISBN13: 9781405135658
• ISBN10: 1405135654
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-30
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This collection of readings with extensive editorial commentary brings together key texts of the most influential philosophers of the medieval era to provide a comprehensive introduction for students of philosophy. Features the writings of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Boethius, John Duns Scotus and other leading medieval thinkers Features several new translations of key thinkers of the medieval era, including John Buridan and Averroes Readings are accompanied by expert commentary from the editors, who are leading scholars in the field

Author Biography

Gyula Klima is a professor of philosophy at Fordham University. He acts as director of the international Society of Medieval Logic and Metaphysics and an executive council member of the American Catholic Philosophical Association since 2003. Klima is the author of ARS ARTIUM: Essays in Philosophical Semantics, Medieval and Modern (1988) and John Buridan: Summulae de Dialectica (2001).

Fritz Allhoff is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University. He has published work in journals including American Journal of Bioethics, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, International Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal.

Anand Jayprakash Vaidya is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at San José State University. His research is in Metaphysics & Epistemology, and Philosophy of Mind.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Logic and Epistemology

Philosophy, Theology, Logic, and the Sciences

Augustine on ancient philosophy

Anonymous 12th-century author on the division of science

Thomas Aquinas on the nature and scope of sacred doctrine

The Problem of Universals

Boethius against real universals

John of Salisbury on the controversy over universals

The Summa Lamberti on the properties of terms

William Ockham on universals

John Buridan on the predicables

Illumination vs. Abstraction, and Scientific Knowledge

Augustine on divine ideas and illumination

Thomas Aquinas on illumination vs. abstraction

Thomas Aquinas on our knowledge of the first principles of demonstration

Henry of Ghent on divine illumination

Duns Scotus on divine illumination

Knowledge and Skepticism

Augustine on the certainty of self-knowledge

Thomas Aquinas on whether the intellect can be false

Henry of Ghent on whether a human being can know anything

Nicholas of Autrecourt on skepticism about substance and causality

John Buridan on scientific knowledge

Philosophy of Nature, Philosophy of the Soul, Metaphysics

Hylomorphism, Causality, Natural Philosophy

Thomas Aquinas on the principles of nature

Thomas Aquinas on the mixture of elements

Giles of Rome on the errors of philosophers

Selections from the Condemnation of 1277

John Buridan on the theory of impetus

Human Nature and the Philosophy of the Soul

Augustine on the soul

Averroes on the immateriality of the intellect

Siger of Brabant on the intellective soul

Thomas Aquinas on the nature and powers of the human soul

John Buridan on the immateriality soul

Metaphysics, Existence and Essence

Avicenna on common nature

Thomas Aquinas on being and essence

John Buridan on essence and existence

God's Existence and Essence

Augustine on divine immutability

Anselm of Canterbury on God's existence

Thomas Aquinas on God's existence and simplicity

Practical Philosophy

Goodness and Being

Augustine on evil as the privation of goodness

Augustine on the origin of moral evil

Boethius on being and goodness

Thomas Aquinas on the convertibility of being and goodness

Freedom of the Will

Augustine on the "divided will"

Boethius on divine providence and the freedom of the will

Anselm of Canterbury on free will

Henry of Ghent on the primacy of the will

Virtues and Happiness

Boethius Dacus on the supreme good

Thomas Aquinas on happiness

Divine Law, Natural Law, Positive Law

Thomas Aquinas on natural law and positive law

John Duns Scotus on natural law and divine law

Selective Bibliography of Further Readings

Index

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