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The article discusses recent archival research by Stephen Kearns, which has uncovered the lost autograph of Drosslogion, a work by medieval philosopher LeMans that served as the basis for Anselm's parody of the "ontological argument." Kearns reconstructs LeMans's argument and argues that Anselm provides a direct reply to it in his work, suggesting that Anselm rejects the possibility of conceiving a being greater than all actual things.

One of the main controversies of the Logic Schools of the 12th century centered on the question: What follows from the impossible? In this paper arguments for two diametrically opposed positions are examined. The author of the 'Avranches Text' who probably belonged to the school of the Parvipontani defended the view that from an impossible proposition everything follows ('Ex impossibili quodlibet'). In particular he developed a proof to show that by means of so-called 'disjunctive syllogism' any arbitrary proposition B can be logically derived from a pair of contradictory propositions A and Not-A. The author of the Ars Meliduna instead argued that nothing follows from an impossible proposition ('ex falso nihil sequitur'). This view is supported by various counterexamples which aimed to show that the admission of impossible premises would give rise to inconsistent conclusions. Upon closer analysis these inconsistencies do not, however, have the formal structure of a real contradiction like A and Not-A, but rather the structure of two rivalling conditionals like 'If B then A' and 'If B then Not-A'. Hence these counterexamples rather have to be considered as refutations of the basic principles of 'connexive logic'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new results regarding six Arts Masters of the Late Middle Ages. First of all, a new search target for the lost work Logica of Thomas of Cleves is suggested: a question commentary on Peter of Spain should be searched for. Second, recent research has shown that John of Hokelem is a prolific author: further findings are added here. A third notable magister artium Parisiensis of the late 14th century is Christian of Ackoy: in addition to his known works, some new findings are discussed as possible or even probable works by him. Finally, the bibliography of an important magister artium Pragensis, Helmold of Salzwedel, as well as that of two Viennese Arts Masters, Conrad Seglauer and John Gossolt, is improved. In this way, the paper offers new insights into the manuscript tradition of late medieval philosophy and provides some corrections to the standard literature (C. H. Lohr, M. Markowski, and others). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Il genere della medieval crime fiction ha preso il volo (dal punto di vista della quantità e della qualità delle creazioni) dall’inizio degli anni ’80 del secolo scorso, grazie ai romanzi di Ellis Peters (A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977) e soprattutto di Umberto Eco (Il nome della rosa, 1980). Da allora a oggi oltre 150 tra autrici e autori hanno proposto storie di indagine criminale ambientate nel Medioevo. In questo articolo saranno esaminati alcuni casi interessanti che stanno a cavallo tra romanzo storico medievale e medieval crime fiction, in cui le autrici o gli autori hanno fatto ricorso a personaggi (storici o d’invenzione) impegnati a vario titolo nella riflessione filosofica, teologica o medica medievale. Oggetto di analisi saranno in particolare sia le descrizioni del loro aspetto fisico che i rispettivi ruoli attanziali e narrativi. The genre of medieval crime fiction took off (from the point of view of both quantity and quality of the books) from the beginning of the 1980s, thanks to the novels of Ellis Peters (A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977) and especially by Umberto Eco (The name of the rose, 1980). Since then, more than 150 authors have proposed criminal investigation stories set in the Middle Ages. In this article we will examine some interesting cases that straddle medieval historical novel and medieval crime fiction, in which the authors have resorted to characters (historical or purely fictional) engaged in various capacities in philosophy, theology or medicine. In particular, both the descriptions of their physical aspect and their actantial and narrative roles will be analyzed.

This is a study of D. H. Th. Vollenhoven's type-focused historiography of philosophy and its development with respect to pre-Socratic philosophy. It uses the work of Pierre Hadot on philosophical askesis, the work of Martha Nussbaum on therapeutic argument, and recent work on the transformative character of Aquinas's Summa contra Gentiles and Summa theologiae to question some of the central assumptions of Vollenhoven's methodology. In the process, Vollenhoven's practice is compared to and contrasted with the historiographical practice of Aristotle in his Metaphysics. What emerges is a way to acknowledge the continued worth of type-focused reading and the religious intuitions that gave rise to it, but on the basis of different methodological assumptions and to different historiographical effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present endeavour aims at the clarification of the concept of the logical consequence. Initially we investigate the question: How was the concept of logical consequence discovered by the medieval philosophers? Which ancient philosophical foundations were necessary for the discovery of the logical relation of consequence and which explicit medieval contributions, such as the notion of the formality (formal validity), led to its discovery. Secondly we discuss which developments of the modern philosophy effected the turn from the medieval concept of logical consequence to its most recent conceptions, such as the semantic, syntactic, axiomatic and natural deductive approaches? Thirdly we examine which are the similarities and the differences between the logical concepts of consequence, inference, implication and entailment? Furthermore, we ask what kind of relation signifies the concept of the logical consequence? That is to say, which is the analytic definition of the consequence relation R between the premises p1, p2...pn and the conclusion c of a formally valid argument? Finally, we focus on the respective answers given through the developments in proof theory by David Hilbert and Gerhard Gentzen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Martin Heidegger devotes extensive discussion to medieval philosophers, particularly to their treatment of "Truth and Being." It mentions Heidegger's critique had an unprecedented effect on the credibility of medieval philosophy, whereby great portions of the philosophical community dismiss it altogether as an illegitimate Onto-Theology. It also mentions Heidegger's criticism of Thomas Aquinas conception of truth as adequation.

I argue that Thomas Aquinas maintains the view that (created) powers are accidental to their bearers not because powers pertain to bearers with limited essences, but because their bearers have limited actual being. Power tracks not only the essence of something but also its actual existence. Things have powers that are causally relevant when these things exist, that is, the nature of a power is determined by a thing's essence, but the actual being of the thing of that essence accounts for the limitations of this power and for the extent to which a power can have causal effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a pedagogical game-playing program called "Reacting to the Past" that was developed by Mark Carnes. The author describes the role playing involved in the games which reenact historical subject matter. She notes her introduction to the program as a defender of the historical figure Anne Hutchinson. The author also notes aspects of the teaching method including political and legal arguments, caucuses among players, proposals and petitions for and against a particular position, and a final judgment of the outcome.

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The current study analyzes John Marenbon's thesis concerning the continuing significance of the History of Medieval Philosophy, especially as this thesis contributes to the current debate about the contribution of history of the History of Philosophy. To contextualize and clarify Marenbon's approach to the issue, this paper examines both the explicit sources of his argument as well as other implicit sources supporting it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book of remedies Rafaʾel ha-Malʾakh appeared in Hebrew at the beginning of the twentieth century. Its author, rabbi Yehuda Yudl Rosenberg, a man shaped by traditional Judaism and Hasidism, set himself the goal of creating a practical medical guide addressed to the poorer sections of the Jewish population in Russian Poland. In his work he included a diverse body of material representing a number of often conflicting views on the human body. The aim of this article is to explore the main elements shaping the ideas contained in the guide, with particular emphasis on Rosenberg's traditionalist views, which is echoed in early-modern medical publications and in ethnographic collections from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Alongside the pathology of the four humors, the most influential medical theory until the rise of modern medicine, Rosenberg's belief in the relationship between health and the spiritual life of man will be examined through an analysis of the advice provided in Rafaʾel ha-Malʾakh. Moreover, the article draws attention to Rosenberg's dialogue with modernity and seeks to answer the question whether this handbook advocated a modern approach towards the treatment of illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Veritas is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Electronic Turkish Studies is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Chinese study of medieval philosophy has undergone an extraordinary historical process, and it has made great advances in the last 40 years. This paper provides a retrospective analysis of the pioneering Chinese scholars, both traditional and modern, who have played significant roles in the establishment and development of this historical field of inquiry. It pays particular attention to the important scholars, their works, methodologies, and findings over the course of the last forty years, and it also looks to the challenges currently facing this area of study and addresses the current state of the field and its future prospects. Although Chinese scholarship on medieval philosophy has already achieved great accomplishments, compared with the level of international research in the field abroad, there is still a huge gap to be remedied and therefore, we must recognize that there are great opportunities for Chinese scholars who will undertake the study of medieval philosophy with all due seriousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little has been written about the attitudes of medieval Jewish philosophers towards the phenomenon of women prophets. Among the qualities essential for a prophet, medieval philosophers highlighted intellectual perfection as the foremost prerequisite. At the same time, these philosophers generally labeled women as intellectually deficient by definition. Consequently, the axiomatic equation of a prophet with a philosopher generated an apparently unresolvable problem in the case of women prophets. Within these constraints, medieval philosophers still had to confront the question of women prophets, as the Hebrew Bible emphatically pointed at three of its heroines--Miriam, Deborah and Huldah--as among those through whom God had chosen to speak. This article deals with the surprising treatment of the issue by central representatives of medieval Jewish thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the critique of Greek philosophy by a Muslim scholar of the middle age Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 CE). It begins with a brief introductory background of Ibn Khaldun, followed by a trace of the elements of Greek philosophy in his writings. The main purpose is to track the line of argument Ibn Khaldun used in his criticism and the basic premises he used in his attempt to position himself in his critiques. This article ends with concluding remarks on Ibn Khaldun's real attitude and how he drew a balance between rejection of certain philosophic notions and the acceptance of reasons and logics as crafts practiced in human civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hugh of Novocastro, Landolfo Caracciolo, John Baconthorpe, and some other medieval authors argued that there are real contradictions in nature. The background of this early fourteenth-century theory was the Aristotelian question of how to determine the instant of change between p and ~p. The argument was that these are simultaneously true at the temporal instant of change if it is an instant of changing. The author's aim is to discuss the background of this view in Henry of Ghent's theory of instantaneous change from potentiality to actuality at that very instant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The famous Armenian theologian and philosopher Grigor Tatevatsi (1346-1409) in his teaching tries to compare the biblical truth of creation with the philosophical postulate regarding the eternity of the world. Principally, being a creationist thinker, he criticized the theories that made the Materia co-eternal to God, meanwhile, he proposed the following arguments regarding the eternity of the world: a) before the creation the world existed actually by influence in the providence of God as an immaterial paradigm; b) the world is eternal because it is linked to eternity; c) the God is the eternal and always actual being, therefore the world was created eternal and the eternal is the necessary being which never can become none-being; d) the will of God is unchangeable, He cannot make the created world become non-being otherwise His will would change; e) the God does not make the world become non-being not because He is unable to do so but due to the boundless goodness; f. the world is eternal because the four elements and qualities that are the basis of it, are eternal. Therefore, even though the arguments proposed by Tatevatsi are based on and contain typical ideas of Neoplatonism, one has to take into account that he speaks of the eternity of the created world rather than co-existence of world with the God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

None of the medieval Armenian thinkers left a complete piece on argumentation theory. However, argumentation problems and the practical realization of requirements of the theory of argumentation were enormous part of Armenian philosophers' works. They discussed argumentation problems mostly from object-language rather than meta-language prospective. This research focuses on the works of three mediaeval thinkers: Yeznik Koghbacy (IV-V), David Anhaght (The Invincible, V), Grigor Tatevatsi (XIV-XV). In their theoretical heritage the examination of argumentation issues and coverage can be regarded as the most significant stages of history of Armenian argumentation theories, the interpretation of which first of all aims to accomplish the following problems: 1. Present the argumentation doctrines of each chosen philosopher as a complete idea of the theory of argumentation. 2. Complete the critical analysis of the theoretical heritage of the examinee philosophers. 3. Clarify the most important stages of history of Armenian argumentation doctrines. 4. Thereby increase the possibility of including history of Armenian argumentation theories in universal history. The history of each theory can be perceived and properly appreciated from the perspective of that theory's modern level of development. Considering that fact this research reconstructs the models of syntax and semantics of the language of argumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre la filosofía medieval, con un enfoque particular en la obra del filósofo colombiano Luis Eduardo Suárez. El autor comenta sobre la importancia de comprender el lenguaje de latín en el estudio de la filosofía medieval. También se consideran los trabajos de Tomás de Aquino, incluyendo el libro "Suma teológica."

The medieval distinction between categorematic and syncategorematic words is usually given as the distinction between words which have signification or meaning in isolation from other words (such as nouns, pronouns, verbs) and those which have signification only when combined with other words (such as conjunctions, quantifiers, and articles). Some words, however, are classified as both categorematic and syncategorematic. One such word is Latin infinita 'infinite'. Because infinita can be either categorematic or syncategorematic, it is possible to form sophisms (logical puzzles or paradoxes) using infinita whose solutions turn on the distinction between categorematic and syncategorematic uses of infinita. As a result, medieval logicians were interested in identifying correct logical rules governing the categorematic and syncategorematic uses of the term. In this paper, we look at 13th-15th-century logical discussions of infinita used syncategorematically and categorematically. We also relate the distinction to other medieval distinctions with which it has often been conflated in modern times, and show how and where these conflations go wrong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre la filosofía medieval, con un enfoque en la obra de profesor Luis Eduardo Suárez Fonseca. El autor comenta sobre "Summa theologiae" de Tomás de Aquino, el cual analiza la teología desde una perspectiva filosófica. También se considera la interrelación entre la filosofía medieval, la historia y la religión.

The idea that for medieval philosophers in general, and for Thomas Aquinas in particular, intentionality is the mark of the cognitive has become a commonplace in philosophy. According to this classical line of reasoning, for Aquinas, esse intentionale is the mark of the cognitive. The present paper challenges this classical reading of Aquinas, by stressing the importance of esse immateriale for defining a knower as opposed to a non-knower. In other words, is endeavours to demonstrate that for Thomas Aquinas intentionality is not the mark of the cognitive. While for intentionality to be cognitive it needs to be connected with immateriality, neither immateriality, nor intentionality alone is sufficient for cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that three characteristic modern positions concerning intentionality – namely, (1) that intentionality is ‘the mark of the mental’; (2) that intentionality concerns a specific type of objects having intentional inexistence; and (3) that intentionality somehow defies logic – are just three ‘modern myths’ that medieval philosophers, from whom the modern notion supposedly originated, would definitely reject. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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An essay is presented on public historiography in the context of medieval philosophy. It explores how medieval philosophy is perceived in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries by the general public. It considers five films regarding medieval philosophy and philosophers including "Augustine of Hippo," "Stealing Heaven" about Peter Abelard and his 16-year-old student Héloise, and "Philosophy--A Guide to Happiness: Montaigne on Self-Esteem" about Michel de Montaigne.

The article discusses the works of late medieval philosopher Nicholas Theoderici, better known as Nicholas of Amsterdam. After providing a brief sketch of Nicholas' education and career, which culminated in his service as dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Rostock, Germany, the author surveys extant manuscripts of Nicholas' writings held at several libraries in Europe, including in Berlin, Germany, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Munich, Germany. Topics discussed include logic, natural philosophy, and metaphysics.

An interview with the Canadian historian of philosophy Claude Panaccio is presented. Topics of discussion include Panaccio's work on the thought of medieval philosopher and theologian William of Ockham, medieval semantics and theory of knowledge, and the question whether Ockham and other medieval philosophers subscribed to the ideas of externalism.

The article discusses 11th century philosopher Gaunilo's critique of the book "Proslogion" by the philosopher Anselm, which argues in favor of the existence of God. Anselm's response in the subsequent book "Proslogion 2" is mentioned, as well as counterarguments, parody, and the structure of each philosopher's logic arguments.

Moshe ibn Ezra, the well-known medieval philosopher, scholar, exegete, and Hebrew author, was also a prosodist and critic; as such, he wrote a major treatise on the principles of poetry. However, his own poetic compositions often flout these principles. The present article explores the dichotomy between literary theory and literary practice in ibn Ezra's writings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is mainly concerned with the reception of the theory of a starless ninth orb by Maimonides (1138--1204). Maimonides addressed this topic in two of his works: first, in the third chapter of the Laws of the Foundation of the Torah, part of his code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah; and, at a later date, in the Guide of the Perplexed. I begin with the approach to the ninth orb in the Laws of the Foundation of the Torah, where it is presented as a starless orb divided into twelve signs named for the twelve zodiacal constellations. My contention is that Maimonides extracted the ideas about the ninth orb from a cosmological work ascribed to Māshā'allāh, an early Abbasid astrologer, or from some later work derived from Māshā'allāh's cosmology. I also clarify the unusual features of this model as presented by Māshā'allāh and try to determine the rationale behind its inclusion in Māshā'allāh's cosmology as well as in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. This, I maintain, has to do not only with cosmological but also and especially with astrological considerations. Then I briefly study the approach to the ninth orb in the Guide, where it is incorporated in its ''classical'' form, i.e., as the all-encompassing orb imparting the diurnal motion to all the other motions, and weigh the difference between this and the Mishneh Torah. Last, in a short postscript, I broaden the scope to show that Māshā'allāh's cosmology, particularly the ninth starless orb divided into twelve signs, was widely known in the Arabic world before Maimonides, especially among Jewish intellectuals in Muslim Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boethius first identifies Philosophy in the Consolation as his medica, his "healer" or "physician." Over the course of the dialogue Philosophy exercises her medical art systematically. In the second book Philosophy first gives Boethius "gentler remedies" that are preparatory for the "sharper medicines" that she administers later. This article shows that, philosophically speaking, Philosophy's "gentler remedies" amount to persuading Boethius toward Stoicism, which functions as an anesthetic for the more invasive philosophical surgery that she performs afterwards. Seeing this, however, requires understanding how Philosophy draws out Boethius's spiritedness in the first book and how in the second book she sublimates it into an intellectual and volitional apathy toward the things of fortune, i.e., into a Stoic attitude toward that which is other. Significantly, though, the Stoicism to which Philosophy leads Boethius is of a mitigated sort, inasmuch as friendship is not included among the things of fortune to which Boethius is anesthesized, an exception that opens up Boethius to genuine wonder and, consequently, to genuine philosophizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Robert Kilwardby's (ca. 1215-1279) treatment of causal necessity and contingency. In his Commentary on Aristotle's Posterior Analytics and in his De ortu scientiarum, Kilwardby seems to be particularly concerned with the precarious epistemological status of ethics and physics insofar as these disciplines deal with contingent events. In order to reconcile strictly scientific knowledge with conjectural forms of knowledge, Kilwardby sets the problem of contingency in a genuinely gnoseological rather than metaphysical context, arriving at a highly original account of contingency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the workshop "Renovatio et unitas: Nikolaus von Kues als Reformer: Theorie und Praxis der reformatio im 15. Jahrhundert," which was held at the Freie Universität (Free University) of Berlin on February 18-19, 2011. Papers presented discussed aspects of the theological and philosophical thought of Nicholas of Cusa, especially his ideas about reforming Christian theology and the Catholic Church in Late Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

The article discusses the perspectives of medieval philosopher John Duns Scotus concerning the role of God in causality, cognition, and intentionality. The author addresses Scotus's argument against the causal account of intentionality as well as his thoughts on intellectual cognition, acts of abstractive cognition, and intuitive cognition. The familiarity of Scotus with the Aristotelian perspective on the causal account of intentionality is explored, as well as the perspectives of other medieval thinkers including Godfrey of Fontaines, Henry of Ghent, and Thomas Aquinas. Several works by Scotus are examined including "Question on the Metaphysics," "Ordinatio," and "Lectura."

The article focuses on the 13th century Spanish philosopher Ramon Llull. It discusses his approach to philosophy, religious conversion and Christian apologetics, comments on his significance for the study of the Catalan language and makes reference to several of his works including "Ars combinatoria," "Vita coaetania" and "Ars compendiosa inveniendi veritatem" (also known as "Ars magna"). The author also offers biographical details of his life and reflects on Llull's influence on the historical study of interreligious dialogue.

The Four ages contains a brief explicit discussion of the issue of Christian philosophy, referencing the Middle Ages and the 1930s French debates about Christian philosophy. Closer attention to the debates reveals a plurality of positions rather than unanimous agreement on Christian philosophy, indicating that the quite complex issues were not resolved. In this review article, I contest Deely's interpretation of Maritian's position, provide an exegesis of Maritain's position, argue that Deely's explicit position is identifiable as very close to Neo-Scholastic opponents of Christian philosophy during the debates, and briefly discuss Gilson's and Blondel's criticisms of such positions articulated during the 1930s debates. I also indicate that despite his opposition to Christian philosophy, Deely shares several key insights with its proponents, and I end by suggesting but not developing a few ways Deely's semiotic approach could bear additional fruit for postmodern Christian philosophy's ongoing projects of self-understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the commentary on the "Posterior Analytics" of Greek philosopher Aristotle written in the 13th century by the English scholastic philosopher Robert Grosseteste. Grosseteste's work is seen, in contrast to majority academic opinion, as successful in reconciling Aristotelian epistemology, which sees human knowledge as deriving primarily from sense perception, with the medieval (Augustinian) theory of divine illumination, the view that God intervenes directly in human cognition.

According to Avicenna's doctrine of interpretation negative theology, God should not be regarded as having any positive attributes pertaining to His essence, any positive attribute to describe Him should be given a negative meaning. Avicenna's That doctirine of interpretation negative theology, taken over especially Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides in the Middle Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Gerald Odonis' view on the nature of place as found in his commentary on the Sentences (Sent. II, d. 2, qq. 3-5) and in an anonymous question (Utrum locus sit ultima superficies corporis ambientis immobile primum) extant in manuscript Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, 4229. Both texts defend a thoroughly un-Aristotelian conception of place as three-dimensional space. Odonis not only deviates from Aristotle's definition of place as the inner surface of a surrounding body, but also from the positions of his contemporaries, including fellow Franciscans. Despite some remarkable doctrinal similarities between Odonis' view and that of Renaissance innovators like Francesco Patrizi and Bernardino Telesio, it seems unlikely that Gerald played a role in the rise of new conceptions of place in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. An edition of the anonymous Quaestio de loco is given in an appendix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]