Medieval Philosophy

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The tutorial combines interactive overviews with classes devoted to reading and discussing selected medieval authors. The course covers Augustine, Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury, 12th-century logic, ethics, and metaphysics (Peter Abelard, the so-called School of Chartres), philosophy in the World of Islam (including Ibn Sina / Avicenna), characteristic features of the 13th-century scholasticism (universities, new translations, the form of quaestio; Latin Averroism, philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, etc.), highlights from the 14th century (John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, etc.).

The tutorial combines interactive overviews with classes devoted to reading and discussing selected medieval authors. The course covers Augustine, Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury, 12th-century logic, ethics, and metaphysics (Peter Abelard, the so-called School of Chartres), philosophy in the World of Islam (including Ibn Sina / Avicenna), characteristic features of the 13th-century scholasticism (universities, new translations, the form of quaestio; Latin Averroism, philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, etc.), highlights from the 14th century (John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, etc.).

Literature:

Main handbook: Anthony Kenny, Medieval Philosophy, Part 2 of A New History of Western Philosophy, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005

Selections from medieval texts in English translations: Augustine of Hippo, Confessions; Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy; Ibn Sina (Avicenna), The Book of Healing; Peter Abelard, Ethics; Thomas Aquinas, Treatise on Human Nature; John Duns Scotus and William Ockham (short thematic selections from the anthologies listed below)

Anthologies:

– Philosophy in the Middle Ages: The Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Tradition, A. Hyman, J. J. Walsh, T. Williams (eds.), Hackett, Indianapolis 2010;

– Medieval Philosophy: Essential Readings, G. Klima, F. Allhoff, A. J. Vaidya (ed.), Blackwell, Oxford 2007

Knowledge:

– basic knowledge of philosophical terms

– comprehension of the historical dynamics of philosophical ideas

– general comprehension of medieval philosophy (key figures, ideas, and arguments) based on introductory lectures, reading the sources in translation, and the handbook

– knowledge of the general relationship between philosophical ideas and social and cultural context

– acquaintance with methods of interpretating medieval texts

Abilities:

– to read and analyze medieval philosophical sources (texts) in translation

– to deal with basic philosophical problems, theses, and assumptions of medieval philosophy

– to understand and reconstruct arguments used by medieval philosophers

– to evaluate the ideas and arguments within the original context

Social skills:

– independent thinking

– sharing knowledge in discussion

– awareness of the significance of the heritage of European and Arabic philosophy and the influence of philosophical thinking on the formation of social and intellectual bonds

– preparation (reading) and active participation in discussions

– written exam at the end of the semester (based on the readings and selected chapters of the main handbook; with focus on understanding rather than on encyclopedic knowledge)

Acceptable number of missed classes without formal explanation: 2