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MEDIEVALPHILOSOPHY PETERADAMSON MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY ahistoryofphilosophywithoutanygaps volume4 3 GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford, OXDP, UnitedKingdom
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Formyfather,DavidAdamson CONTENTS Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Dates xvii
PartI.EarlyMedievalPhilosophy . ArtsofDarkness IntroductiontoMedievalPhilosophy
. CharlesinCharge TheCarolingianRenaissance
. GraceNotes EriugenaandthePredestinationControversy
. MuchAdoAboutNothing Eriugena’s Periphyseon
. PhilosophersAnonymous TheRootsofScholasticism
. VirginTerritory PeterDamianonChangingthePast
. ACanterburyTale Anselm’sLifeandWorks
. Somebody’sPerfect Anselm’sOntologicalArgument
. AllorNothing TheProblemofUniversals
. GetTheetoaNunnery HeloiseandAbelard
. It’stheThoughtthatCounts Abelard’sEthics
. LearnEverything TheVictorines
. LikeFather,likeSon DebatingtheTrinity
. OntheShouldersofGiants PhilosophyatChartres
. TheGoodBook PhilosophyofNature
. One ofaKind GilbertofPoitiersonIndividuation
. TwoSwords EarlyMedievalPoliticalPhilosophy
. LawandOrder GratianandPeterLombard
. LeadingLight HildegardofBingen
. RediscoveryChannel TranslationsintoLatin
. StrawMen TheRiseoftheUniversities
PartII.TheThirteenthCentury . NoUncertainTerms Thirteenth-CenturyLogic
. FullofPotential Thirteenth-CenturyPhysics
. Stayin’ Alive Thirteenth-CenturyPsychology
. It’sAllGood TheTranscendentals
. DotheRightThing Thirteenth-CenturyEthics
. ALightthatNeverGoesOut RobertGrosseteste
. OriginofSpecies RogerBacon
. StairwaytoHeaven Bonaventure
. YourAttention,Please PeterOlivi
. NoneforMe,Thanks FranciscanPoverty
. BegintheBeguine HadewijchandMechthildofMagdeburg
. BindingArbitration RobertKilwardby
. Animal,Vegetable,Mineral AlberttheGreat’sNatural Philosophy
. TheShadowKnows AlberttheGreat’sMetaphysics
. TheOxHeardroundtheWorld ThomasAquinas
. EverybodyNeedsSomeBody Aquinas onSouland Knowledge
. WhatComesNaturally EthicsinAlbertandAquinas
. WhatPleasesthePrince TheRuleofLaw
. OnwardChristianSoldiers JustWarTheory
. PariswhenitSizzles TheCondemnations
. MastersoftheUniversity—“LatinAverroists”
. TheNeverEndingStory TheEternityoftheWorld
. LetMeCounttheWays SpeculativeGrammar
. Love,ReignoverMe The RomanceoftheRose
. FrequentlyAskedQuestions HenryofGhent
. HereComestheSon TheTrinityandtheEucharist
. OnceandforAll ScotusonBeing
. ToWillorNottoWill ScotusonFreedom
. OnCommand ScotusonEthics
. OneinaMillion ScotusonUniversalsandIndividuals
PartIII.TheFourteenthCentury . TimeoftheSigns TheFourteenthCentury
. AfterVirtue MargueritePorete
. ToHellandBack DanteAlighieri
. OurPowerisReal TheClashofChurchandState
. RenderuntoCaesar MarsiliusofPadua
. DoAsYou’reTold OckhamonEthicsandPolitical Philosophy
. ACloseShave Ockham’sNominalism
. WhatDoYouThink? OckhamonMentalLanguage
. KeepingitReal ResponsestoOckham
. BacktotheFuture ForeknowledgeandPredestination
. TrivialPursuits Fourteenth-CenturyLogic
. QuadrivialPursuits TheOxfordCalculators
. GettothePoint Fourteenth-CenturyPhysics
. PortraitoftheArtist JohnBuridan
. SeeingisBelieving NicholasofAutrecourt’sSkeptical Challenge
. OntheMoney MedievalEconomicTheory
. DowntotheGround MeisterEckhart
. MeninBlack TheGermanDominicans
. AWingandaPrayer AngelsinMedievalPhilosophy
. AlleManerofThyngShallbeWelle EnglishMysticism
. SayitwithPoetry ChaucerandLangland
. TheGoodWife SexualityandMisogynyintheMiddleAges
. SighsWereherFood CatherineofSienaandAffective Mysticism
. TheMostChristianDoctor The Querelledelarose and JeanGerson
. MorningStaroftheReformation JohnWyclif
. ThePragueSpring ScholasticismacrossEurope
. RenaissanceMen RamonLlullandPetrarch
Notes
FurtherReading
Publisher ’sAcknowledgment
Index
PREFACE Thereis,asitturnsout,quitealotofmedievalphilosophy.It’sahugeterritoryto explore,evenifyouarenotdealingwithphilosophyintheIslamicworldor Byzantium(respectivelycoveredinthepreviousandnextinstallmentsofthisbook series).Justcomparethisbooktoearlierofferingsintheseries: ClassicalPhilosophy includedamereforty-threechaptersand PhilosophyintheHellenisticandRomanWorlds fifty-threechapters.That’sfewerthanahundredchapterstocoveraboutamillenniumofphilosophyintotal,whereasinthisvolumetellingthestoryofmedieval thoughtwilltakeseventy-eightchaptersforonlyhalfamillennium,fromtheninth tothefourteenthcenturies.Andthisdespitethefactthatthereisn’tmuchtosay aboutthetenthandeleventhcenturies,thesocalled “DarkAges”—evenifthereis somewhatmoretosaythanyoumightthink.Theprofusionofmaterialmaycome asasurprise,giventhatmostnon-specialistswouldbehardpressedtonamemore thanahandfulofmedievalphilosophers.
Butitmakeshistoricalsense.Aswegetclosertothepresent,thereissimplymore inthewayofsurvivingtext;fromthemedievalageweevenhavemanuscriptsinthe originalhandwritingofsomeofthemainprotagonists.Furthermore,thisperiod sawtheriseofinstitutionsthatproducedastaggeringamountofphilosophical writing,especiallyforuseinclassroomcontexts.ConsiderthatadocumentprovidinginformationonthemembersoftheUniversityofParisjustintheyear – recordsabouttwothousandindividuals.1 Andthesearepeoplewhosenameswe know!Thenumberofextantworksbyunidenti fiedauthorsissolargethatyou couldproduceacreditablehistoryofmedievalscholasticismbydiscussingnothing butanonymousmanuscripts(a “historyofphilosophywithoutanynames,” ifyou will).Tomakemattersyetmoredaunting,inthisbookwearefrequentlygoingtogo beyondtheworldoftheschoolmen.Wewillbediscussingthephilosophical contributionsofmenwhowerenotmastersattheschoolsanduniversities,and ofthinkerswhoweren’tmenatall.Indeedoneofthemostexcitingfeaturesof medievalthought,oneparticularlyhighlightedinthisbook,isthesurvivalof numerousworksbywomen.Thismakesforanothercontrastwiththeancient world,whosewomenphilosophersspeaktousonlythroughtheintermediaryof maleauthors.
InChapter belowIsetoutthechronologicalrangeofmedievalphilosophyand begintomakeacaseforthebroadapproachIhavetakentothesubject,which includestopicslikemysticismandnaturalscience.Sothereisnoneedtodothat here.InsteadIwouldjustliketogivesomebriefadviceabouthowtoreadthebook. Ideally,youshouldstartatthebeginningandgothroughtotheendwithout skippinganything(thisisafterallhowIwroteit).Hopefullythatwillgiveyouan impressionofthedifferentepochsofmedievalphilosophyanditsevolutionfrom oneperiodtothenext.Itmaybe,though,thatyouaremoreinterestedinsome philosophicaltopicsthanothers,inwhichcaseyoumaybefrustratedbythe chronologicalratherthanthematicarrangementofthematerial.Here,then,area fewthematicthreadsthatcouldbefollowedthroughthebookbyreadingitwithgaps.
WemayaswellstartwithGod.It’sworthemphasizingalreadynowthat,contrary topopularbelief,medievalphilosophyisaboutmuchmorethanjusttheology. Manyofthechaptersthatfollowhavenothingtosayaboutreligionatall.Butifyou areprimarilycomingtothismaterialwithaninterestinthephilosophyofreligion, youmightwanttofocusonthosechaptersdealingwithproofsofGod’sexistence andmannerofbeing(Chapters , , , , , , ),Hispowerandknowledgein relationtohumanfreedom(Chapters , , , , , ),thepossibilityofrationally graspingorspeakingofGod(Chapters , , , , , , , , ),orspecifically ChristiandoctrinesliketheTrinity,Eucharist,andIncarnation(Chapters , , , , , ).AnotherimportanttopichereistheChristianvalueofasceticismandvoluntarypoverty(startwithChapter ,butitcomesupalot,especiallyindiscussing Franciscanthinkers,asinChapters , ,and ).Ifyou’reinclinedtothinkthata beliefinanimmaterial,immortalsoulisanotherdistinctivelyChristianbelief,then you ’reactuallywrongaboutthat:itwasespousedalreadyinantiquitybymostpagan thinkers.Still,youcanreadhereabouthowimmaterialsoulsandangelswere conceivedinLatinChristendom(Chapters , , , , , , , ). To findout aboutwhathappenstothesoulafterdeath,you’rebestoffaskingDante(Chapter ). Ifyou’reinterestedineverythingI’vejustmentioned,gostraighttoHenryof Ghent(Chapter ),becausehewastoo. Ifyourinterestinmatterspsychologicalrunsmoretowardsknowledgeandthe mind,thenyoumaywanttolookattheepistemologicaldebatebetweenupholders ofrepresentationalismandknowledgeasdirectrelation(Chapters and ),the illuminationisttheoryofepistemology(Chapters , ),orsuggestionsofoutright skepticism(Chapter ).Thereisalsothewill,afacultywhoseoperationwill frequentlyoccupyourattentioninthisbook(forinstanceinChapters , , , , , , , , ).
Amedievalscholasticwouldatthispointcomplainthatyouaregoingabout thingsinthewrongorder.Youshouldreallystartwithlogicandthephilosophyof language(Chapters ,
)and,onceyouhavethebasicsunder yourbelt,tacklethemostprominenttopicdiscussedunderthatheading,the problemofuniversals(Chapters ,
,
).Orifphilosophyoflanguage leavesyoucoldandyoupreferlanguagethatismoreaestheticallypleasing,havea lookatthechaptersonliterarymedieval figures(Chapters
).
Onceyou’vestudiedlogic,you’rereadyforthemathematicaldisciplinesofthe quadriviumandfornaturalphilosophy,whichbecameincreasinglymathematicalin itsapproachastheMiddleAgesdeveloped(Chapters , , , ,
). Ifthat’sstillnotpracticalenoughforyou,trythebranchesofpracticalphilosophy itself,namelyethics(Chapters , , ,
,
, )andpoliticalphilosophy (Chapters
,
). Alsorelevantherearepartsofthebookdealing withmedievaltheoriesoflawandeconomics(Chapters , , ),andattitudes towardswomen(especiallyChapter butseealsothevariouschaptersonwomen authors).Finally,ifyouareespeciallyinterestedinthehistoricalframeworkwithin whichallthesethemeswereexplored,thenyou’reprobablythesortofperson who’dbeinclinedtoreadthebookfromfronttobackanyway,sogowiththat instinct.Butifyou’repressedfortime,broaderhistoricaldevelopmentsareemphasizedespeciallyinChapters , ,
,and
. Whetheryoureadthebookselectivelyorstraightthrough,Iwouldconsidermy missionasanauthoraccomplishedifitleavesyouunsatis fied.Myfondesthopeis thatyou’llbestruck,evenifonlyoccasionally,bythethoughtthatmedieval philosophershadsomeextraordinarilyinterestingideasandthatyouwouldlike tofollowuponwhatyou’vereadherebyturningtotheoriginalsources.Happily, almostallthe figurescoveredhereareatleastpartiallyavailableinEnglishtranslation.Thenotestothechapterswillgiveyoureferencestomanysuchtranslations. Foranthologiesofprimarytextsandforsecondaryliterature,youcanstartby consultingthe “FurtherReading” sectionatthebackofthebook.Finally,Iwould pointyoutowardstheHistoryofPhilosophypodcastseries.Itincludednotonly mostofthematerialthatbecamethebasisofthisbook,butalsonumerous interviewswithexpertsonawiderangeoftopicsinmedievalthought,allofit freetolistenviathatmodernequivalentoftheAverroistcollectivemindwecallthe Internet,atwww.historyofphilosophy.net.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Oneofthemostgratifyingthingsaboutworkingonthisbookserieshasbeen theextraordinarygenerosityofcolleaguesaroundtheworldwhohaveshared theirexpertisewithme.FromearlyonIwasgivenvaluableadviceaboutwhatto coverinthebookandondraftsofindividualchapters;also,manyofthesescholars agreedtobeinterviewedforthepodcastversion.Iwouldhereliketorecordmy gratitudetotheacademicexpertswhoappearedasguestsontheseries:Andrew Arlig,RachelBarney,SusanBrower-Toland,CharlesBurnett,ThereseCory,Richard Cross,IsabelDavis,CatarinaDutilhNovaes,KentEmery,RussFriedman,Stephen Gersh,MonicaGreen,CarolineHumfress,MarkKalderon,PeterKing,JillKraye, ScottMacDonald,JohnMarenbon,RobertPasnau,DominikPerler,MartinPickavé, GiorgioPini,TomPink,ChristofRapp,AndreasSpeer,EileenSweeney,Juhana Toivanen,SaraUckelman,andJackZupko,aswellasfellowpodcastersSharyn Eastaugh,JamieJeffers,andRobinPearson.Prettywellallofthemalsogaveme advicethatwashelpfulinwritingthebook.IamparticularlygratefultoCatarina DutilhNovaes,DanielleLayne,DominikPerler,andGiorgioPiniforgeneraldiscussionofhowtoapproachthemedievalperiod,andtoMartinPickavéandChristina VanDykeforinvaluablecommentsontheentiremanuscript,andforfurther discussion.Furtheradviceonparticulartopicsisacknowledgedinthenotesto therelevantchapters.Anymistakesorinfelicitiesthatremainare,ofcourse,tobe blamednotonthesemanyhelpfulscholarsbutonGod’sprovidentialplanfor theuniverse.
Lookingfurtherback,Ishouldmentiontheteacherswhogotmeinterestedin medievalphilosophyinthe firstplaceandgavememy firsttraininginthis field. TheyaretoomanytolistinfullbutIshouldatleastnameDavidBurrell,Cristina D ’ Ancona,StephenGersh,MarkJordan,JohnKleiner,MichaelLoux,Ralph McInerny,andRichardTaylor.Morerecently,Ihavebene fi tedfromcontinued collaborationwithmembersoftheKing’sCollegeLondonPhilosophyDepartment andfromthesupportofmycolleaguesattheLudwigMaximilianUniversityin Munich,especiallyMatteoDiGiovanni,EleniGaitanu,RotraudHansberger,Oliver Primavesi,andChristofRapp.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS InproducingthepodcastIwasablyassistedbyHanifAminBeidokhti,Andreas Lammer,JulianRimmer,andBethanySomma.Fortheproductionofthebook, IwouldliketoacknowledgeFedorBenevichforhisworkontheindexandPeter Momtchiloffforhisunstintingsupportofthewholebookseries.
Finallyandasalways,morethanthanksareduetomyfamily:tomywifeUrsula, mydaughtersSophia,Johanna,mybrotherGlenn,andmyparentsJoyceandDavid. Thebookisdedicatedtomyfather,whowillespeciallyappreciatethefrequent mentionofbishops.
DATES Alldatesgivenhereare AD.Fordatesofauthors,usehasbeenmadeofthe biographicalappendixinvol. ofR.Pasnau(ed.), TheCambridgeHistoryofMedieval Philosophy, vols(Cambridge: ),amongnumerousothersources.
Philosophersandotherauthors
Augustine d.
Boethius d. /
Selectedhistoricalevents
GregorytheGreatd. Christianmissionariesarrivein Britain
IsidoreofSeville
d. SynodofWhitby MuslimconquestofSpain
Bede d. BattleofTours
Fredegisus fl – VikingraidsbegininEngland
Alcuin d. Charlemagnecrownedemperor DeathofCharlemagne
HrbanusMaurus d. MusliminvasionofSicily
Gottschalk d.
JohnScotusEriugenad.after DeathofCharlestheBald HincmarofRheimsd. DeathofAlfredtheGreat FoundingofAbbeyofCluny
GerbertofAurillac(Pope SylvesterII) d. DeathofOttoIofGermany
AbboofFleury d.
NotkerLabeo d. BattleofHastings
PeterDamian d. SubmissionofHenryIVtoPope atCanossa
BerengarofToursd.ca. ToledotakenbyChristianforces
LanfrancofBec d. DomesdayBook compiled
ConstantinetheAfricand.before /
DeathofWilliamtheConqueror
ManegoldofLautenbachd.after
AnselmofCanterburyd.
IvoofChartresd.
RoscelinofCompiègned.after
WilliamofChampeauxd.
BernardofChartresd.
HughofSt.Victord.
PeterAbelard
GilbertofPoitiersd.
Gratian
JamesofVenice
AdelardofBath d.ca.
BernardofClairvauxd.
WilliamofConchesd.after
ThierryofChartresd.after
BernardSilvestrisd.ca.
PeterLombard d.
Heloise
RichardofSt.Victord.
HildegardofBingend.
DominicusGundisalvi (Gundissalinus)
JohnofSalisburyd. ClarembaldofArrasd.ca.
FirstCrusadelaunched
ConcordatofWorms
SecondCrusadelaunched
CharterofUniversityofBologna
MurderofThomasBecket
CaptureofJerusalembySaladin
GerardofCremonad. ThirdCrusadelaunched
AlanofLille d.
DeathofFrederickBarbarossa
CharterforuniversityatParis
DeathofEleanorofAquitaine
FourthCrusadesacks Constantinople
CrusadebeginsagainstCathars
Foundingofuniversityat Cambridge
ChurchapprovalofFranciscan order
CharterforuniversityatOxford
FourthLateranCouncil
MagnaCarta
Restrictionsonteachingof AristotleatParis
ChurchapprovalofDominican order
FoundationofuniversityatPadua
MichaelScotd.ca. MongolinvasionofRussia
WilliamofMoerbeked.
WilliamofAuxerred.
PhiliptheChancellord.
HadewijchofBrabant fl.early–mid-thc.
AlexanderofHalesd. FoundationofuniversityatRome
JohnBlund d. FoundationofDominican studium atCologne
WilliamofAuvergned.
LambertofAuxerre fl sDeathofEmperorFrederickII
RobertGrossetested.
ClareofAssisi d.
RichardRufus d.after RecaptureofConstantinopleby GreekChristians
WilliamofSherwoodd. CondemnationsatParis ,
Bonaventure d.
ThomasAquinasd.
PeterofSpain
d.
RobertKilwardbyd.
AlberttheGreat d.
BoethiusofDaciad.ca.
SigerofBrabant d. /
MechthildofMagdeburgd.
JohnPecham d. ExpulsionoftheJewsfrom EnglandbyEdwardI
RogerBacon
HenryofGhent
d.ca.
d.
PeterOlivi d.
MatthewofAquaspartad. FirstmeetingofFrench Estates General
MartinofDaciad. DeathofPopeBonifaceVIII
JeandeMeund.
JohnofParis
d.
GodfreyofFontainesd. /
JohnDunsScotusd. BeginningofAvignonPapacy
MargueritePoreted.
DietrichofFreibergd.after
GilesofRome
RamonLlull
d.
d.
ThomasofErfurt fl.early thc.
RadulphusBrito
DanteAligheri
PeterAuriol
MeisterEckhart
d.ca.
d.
d.
d.
WilliamofPagulad.ca.
DurandofStPourcaind. HundredYearsWarbegins
RichardSwineshead fl.ca.
SigerofCourtrai
d.
MarsiliusofPaduad. /
WalterChatton
WalterBurley
d.
d.
FrancisofMarchiad.
WilliamofOckhamd. FoundingofuniversityatPrague
ThomasBradwardined. FirstwaveoftheBlackDeath begins
GeraldOdonis
RichardRolle
d.
d.
AdamWodehamd.
GregoryofRiminid.
JohnBuridan d. /
RichardKilvingtond. SecondwaveoftheBlackDeath begins
JohnTauler
d.
BertholdofMoosburgd.after
RogerSwinesheadd.ca. FoundingofuniversityatVienna
NicholasofAutrecourtd.
WilliamHeytesburyd. /
Petrarch d. GreatPapalSchismbegins
CatherineofSienad. BattleofPoitiers
NicoleOresme
JohnWyclif
d. Peasants’ Revolt
d. Foundingofuniversityat Heidelberg
WilliamLanglandd.ca.
AlbertofSaxonyd.
MarsiliusofInghend.
WalterHilton
HenryofOyta
d.
d.
CloudofUnknowing written s
HenryofLangensteind. BanningofWyclifBiblein England
GeoffreyChaucerd. Lollarduprising
JulianofNorwichd.after ExecutionofJanHus
JeanGerson d.
PaulofVenice
d.
ChristinedePizand.ca.
PARTI EARLYMEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY ARTSOFDARKNESS INTRODUCTIONTOMEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY Mostperiodsinthehistoryofphilosophyhaveappealingnames.PuttingPlato, Aristotle,andfriendsundertheheadingof “classical” philosophyalready highlightstheuniqueroleofancientthoughtasthemodelandsourceforallthat comesafter.AuthorslikeErasmusandMachiavellicanbaskinthepositiveconnotationsoftheterm “Renaissance.” AsforDescartes,Hume,andKant,theirimportanceandfameissowellestablishedthattheyhardlyneedanyhelpfromahistorical label,buttheygetanalluringonenonetheless: “modern” philosophy,withits suggestionthatthesearethethinkerswhoremainrelevantforustoday.Thepoor relativeismedievalphilosophy.Thisword “medieval” isuseful,sinceitpicksoutthe epochinEuropeanhistorythatwe’regoingtobecoveringinthisbook.Butthere’s nodenyingthatitsoundsvaguelylikeaninsult.Neitherclassicalnormodernbutin betweenthetwo(thisiswhat “medieval” means: “middleage”),theveryword conjuresupatimeofsocialcollapse,superstition,oppressiveanddogmaticreligiousauthority.Medievalphilosophyis,inshort,thephilosophyoftheDarkAges. Ourtaskhereistoilluminatethissupposedlydarkperiodofhumanthought.I’ll startbyhighlightingsomeofthemain figuresandthemesthatlieahead.First though,abriefwordaboutwhatImeanby “medievalphilosophy.” Intheprevious volumeofthisseriesIcoveredphilosophyintheIslamicworld,andinsodoing providedextensivecoverageofJewishthoughtinthemedievalperiod,evenmaking foraysintoChristianEuropewhenlookingat figureslikeGersonides.Sononeof thatmaterialisonthe “to-dolist,” thoughcharacterslikeAvicenna,Averroes,and Maimonideswillfeatureasin fluencesonthephilosopherswewillbecovering. Somethingelsethat is ontheto-dolist,butnotyet,istheByzantinetradition.Inthe survivingEasternpartoftheRomanEmpire,themedievalperiodsawthecontinued productionofphilosophicalworksinGreek,butthat’sastoryforthenextvolume. Soasofnow,by “medievalphilosophy” ImeanthephilosophyofLatinChristendominthemedievalperiod.
