Customer Reviews (4)

Coplestonian readability
Copleston's encyclopedic knowledge is brought to the forefront in this book which is essencially vols 2 and 3 of his Medieval Philosophy series united for the sake of presenting the era in a more unified and coherent manner.

For the most part Father Copleston S.J. makes each chapter interesting and a clear progress builds from one chapter to the next, even if the chapters are not arranged chronologically (such as with the chapters on Jewish and Muslim philosophy). The final chapter on Nicholas of Cusa argues intelligently for the fact that he should be concidered neither a Medieval, nor a Renaissance figure but belonging very clearly to the watershed age between the two eras.

Surprisingly light on Aquinas, Copleston's history runs the full of the Middle Ages, from the classical philosophical influences to the patristic writings, Isidor of Seville and Cassiodorus, John Scotus Eriugena, the translators, Jewish and Muslim philosophers etc. If you want a great book on Aquinas (biography more that philosophy) look at Copleston's "Aquinas". Not that A Histor of M P neglect Aquinas, but given the overview nature of the book, Copleston is very selective and focuses on the influences on Aquinas and his contributions to later philosophy more than the whole Thomistic spirit.

The only place that it gets a little dry is with the later scholastics, Ockham and the discussion of the nature of language and logic which Copleston masterfully combines together and presents as the precursor of 20th century analytical philosophy and compares to Wittgenstein. Still, the nominalist chaper is quite slow and heavy reading due to the nature of the subject.

Copleston notes that in the introduction to the 1972 edition that he added and expanded significantly the sections on Jewish and Muslim philosophy so make sure you get a later edition.

Cheers,

Adam

An interesting text of a lesser-known time
Copleston's `History of Medieval Philosophy' has gone through several revisions, the first of which was in 1952 as part of Methuen's Home Study Books series.This is a text I used in a second-year philosophy course at my university.So often the study of philosophy jumps from the classical period of ancient Greece, with a bit of expansion in Rome and early Christian times, to the Renaissance, Enlightenment and more modern periods.The so-called `Dark Ages' are often ignored, but as Copleston's book will attest, there was plenty of activity, many prominent figures, and quite a significant development of philosophy through this period - as a link between the classical Greek/Roman period to the Renaissance, it could not help but to be of importance.

Copleston takes in the wide range of philosophical development.This does not focus exclusively on the Western philosophical tradition, although that is the primary subject matter.Copleston brings in material from the Islamic and Jewish philosophical traditions contemporary with the Western development - at the time, the Islamic culture was more advanced than that of Western Europe, and many significant advances in various disciplines were made in this civilisation.

Three chapters on ancient Christian thought (religious and philosophical) set the stage for the era; Neoplatonism was a dominant philosophical school, embrace by Augustine.Other notable figures of the period include Origen, Pseudo-Dionysius, and Boethius (although Copleston describes him as being `not of much originality').After this examination of the ancient Christian times, he proceeds to the early Middle Ages, looking at the developments around the time of Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance (an often overlooked historical period).John Scotus Erigena appears here, as the first eminent philosopher of the Middle Ages, according to Copleston.

From Scotus to Anselm and Abelard is a relatively `dry' period, which some activity, but not much development.However, in St. Anselm and Peter Abelard are first-rate philosophical minds, in very different casts.Anselm was much more the theologian; Abelard was more concerned with philosophical development that at certain periods might earn him the label of heretic.

Copleston devotes individual chapters each to the Twelfth Century Schools of philosophy, the Philosophy of Islam, and Jewish Philosophy of the time.In the twelfth century, there were many centres of learning - Oxford, Paris, Bologna, which developed as significant academic hubs (Oxford and Paris have continued with world reputations begun at this time).Islamic philosophy looks at figures such as Al-kindi of Baghdad (d. 870) and Al-Farabi (d. 950), who dealt with the religious/philosophical divide in different ways.Abu Ibn-Sina (Avicenna, in Christian writings) was possibly the most significant of Islamic philosophers, and much of his writing as survived.A Persian by birth, he was a Renaissance man with interests in sciences, philosophy, history, medicine and religion.Most famous to Christians of the time was probably Ibn-Rushd (Averroes), who was born in Islamic Spain, and through whom many of the Aristotle works were transmitted into the West.

Jewish thinkers of the time looked back to the figure of Philo, a great Jewish philosopher/historian from the time before the destruction of the Temple.Jewish thinkers of the time include Saadia ben Joseph, Isaac ben Solomon Israeli, Solomon ibn Gabirol, Abraham ibn Daud, and of course, Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides).Neoplatonism was a strong strand through most of these philosophers, derived from Philo and general philosophical traditions.Maimonides was addressing the concerns of most philosophers of the time of any religious or ethnic persuasion with his `Guide for the Perplexed', an attempt to reconcile religion with philosophy.

The `second half' of medieval philosophy takes place in response and reaction to the rediscovery of Aristotle's works, preserved by the Muslim culture.Thomas Aquinas is the strongest figure associated with this rebirth of Aristotilianism.Other figures, such as Duns Scotus (not to be confused with the earlier John Scotus), William of Ockham, Marsilius of Padua, and Nicholas of Cusa finish out the medieval period, in anticipation of later figures such as Descartes and Francis Bacon.

The medieval philosophical construct remained in the Western tradition we have inherited an expressly Christian one - the interplay between Plato and Aristotle took place on the stage of the dialectical relationship of church and state, church and academia, and faith vs. knowledge.Developments would continue, and indeed still continue to this day, on all these fronts.

Magisterial, but dry book.
Frederick C. Copleston is a master historian. His nine-volume A History of Philosophy is remarkable in its breadth, depth and analyticity, especially the volume on ancient Greek philosophy. However, Copleston's work A History of Medieval Philosophy, while being a good intro work is nevertheless very dry and difficult to read. The familiar objectivity and precision of the Jesuit is present in this book. But Copleston needed to add life to this work. That is the main "beef" I have with this history. That complaint notwithstanding, this is a great text. Copleston begins his coverage of the medieval period by showing the important connection between ancient Christianity and medieval thought. He then discusses such thinkers as John Erigena, Berengarius of Tours and Roscelin of Compiegne. He briefly recounts the controversies that the latter two individuals are known for (i.e. transubstantiation and tritheism) before turning to Anselm of Canterbury and Anselm of Heloise fame.

Maybe Copleston could have supplied more details in the aforementioned chapters and spared some unnnecessary details in other parts of the book. In any event, Copleston's history must be read by all those who are serious about medieval philosophy. It is the perfect place to initiate one's immersion into medieval thought.

A Marvelous Introductory Resource
In this book, one finds access to the world of medieval philosophy.The book does a great job of hitting the key ideas of numerous figures within medieval Christian philosophy and provides worthwhile chapters on philosphers from the Islamic and Judaic traditions as well.Additionally,the survey provides biographical sketches and historical background for thetreatments of the key figures and periods. ... Read more

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Wonderful as an introduction.
The text is a bit dated, I will be the first to admit, though so is the subject matter!However, the book is comprehensive and thorough, leaves out nothing of importance, and gives a good and balanced picture of not only the "what" but the "why" of medieval thinking. If you are an old pro at Aquinas et al, this is a good historical overview to what you already know, maybe in a more concise and intelligent format than you are used to seeing in books on medieval philosophy.If you are a student, and especially if you are not all that familiar with what is going on with medieval thinkers, I can hardly recommend this short history any more highly.

I have little to add to the three excellent recommendations I reproduce below:

"What is most striking about the entire book is its just perspective and its fine balance between scholarly prudence and philosoohical suggestiveness in the presentation of the ideas and problems distinctive of medieval philosophy. . . . As a sketch of medieval philosophy it qualifies as something of a classic."--Philosophical Review

"The author carefully traces the influence of Greek philosophy and of the three great reigious traditions . . . on the great medieval scholastics.Professor Weinberg's book is a real contribution toward a sympathetic grasp of a tradition which he tells us must be retained and reexamined incessantly if we are to learn form the past."--Review of Metaphysics

"The style is straightforward and clear; the content is judiciously selected; the interpretations are intelligent, impartial, scholarly."--Speculum ... Read more

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Leo Strauss's Philosophy and Law contains a groundbreaking study of the political philosophy of Maimonides and his Islamic predecessors, and it offers an argument on behalf of that philosophy which is also a profound critique of modern philosophy. Here is an entirely new and complete English translation of Strauss's work, which takes as its ideal the exacting standards of accuracy that Strauss himself emphasized in his own work. It includes a prefatory essay introducing the argument of each of the four sections of Philosophy and Law.

This is a fresh and challenging treatment of the perennial conflict between reason and revelation, or philosophy and religion. Strauss's key contention in this book is that the most influential modern approaches to this conflict have run aground in ways that reflect their loss of key insights developed by the medieval philosophers of Islam and their Jewish pupils, especially Maimonides. Strauss challenges the modern view that scientific enlightenment must ultimately amount to atheism, and that therefore there can be no such thing as enlightened religion. Through a careful, original, and detailed treatment of central works of the medieval Islamic-Jewish tradition, especially Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, Strauss aims to recover their key insights into this question. ... Read more

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An exploration of Chinese thought during a time of monumental change, the period after the fall of the Han dynasty. ... Read more

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John Wyclif (d.1384) has too frequently been described as "Morning Star of the Reformation" and only recently begun to be studied as a fourteenth-century English philosopher and theologian. This work draws on recent scholarship situating Wyclif in his fourteenth-century milieu to present a survey of his thought and writings as a coherent theological position arising from Oxford's "Golden Age" of theology.

Lahey argues that many of Wyclif's best known critiques of the fourteenth-century Church arise from his philosophical commitment to an Augustinian realism evocative of the thought of Robert Grosseteste and Anselm of Canterbury. This realism is comprehensible in terms of Wyclif's sustained focus on semantics and the properties of terms and propositions, a "linguistic turn" characterizing post-Ockham philosophical theology. Arising from this propositional realism is a strong emphasis on the place of Scripture in both formal and applied theology, which was the starting point for many of Wyclif's quarrels with the ecclesiastical status quo in late fourteenth-century England.

This survey takes into account both Wyclif's earlier, philosophical works and his later works, including sermons and Scripture commentary. Wyclif's belief that Scripture is the eternal and perfect divine word, the paradigm of human discourse and the definitive embodiment of truth in creation is central to an understanding of the ties he believes relate theoretical and practical philosophy to theology. This connection links Wyclif's interest in the propositional structure of reality to his realism, his hermeneutic program, and to his agenda for reform of the Church. Lahey's survey also highlights Wyclif's rejection of Bradwardine's determinism in favor of a model of human freedom in light of God's perfect foreknowledge, and also explores the relation of Wyclif's spatiotemporal atomism to his rejection of transubstantiation. This is the first book-length, comprehensive survey of Wyclif's thought, and will be of interest to students of later medieval theology, philosophy, history, and literature. ... Read more

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This book offers a brief, accessible introduction to the thought of Boethius. After a survey of Boethius's life and work, Marenbon explicates his theological method, and devotes separate chapters to his arguments about good and evil, fortune, fate and free will, and the problem of divine foreknowledge. Marenbon also traces Boethius's influence on the work of such thinkers as Aquinas and Duns Scotus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Solid introduction to Boethius
Unfortunately until fairly recently, medieval philosophy was a fairly neglected and obscure area of philosophy, regarded by many as an era of stagnation and decadence in philosophy, brought on mainly by its servile obedience to the beliefs of medieval religion.However, this series of books helps show that medievals seriously engaged in philosophical reflection on many issues philosophers still debate today.

This volume of the series examines Boethius, a fifth century Latin Philosopher who was executed for treason.It offers a valuable overview of Boethius's philosophy, which is often under-rated in its depth and seriousness, and examines Boethius's attempts to examine logical questions and puzzles and his vast projects aiming to bring Aristotle and Plato back to Philosophy's central concerns, and his work on theology, God, and providence.

This volume will be useful to any student of medieval philosophy or of Boethius.

Why Boethius?
You know I was watching a cartoon the other day with a bear in it.The bear looked all jolly and nice.Then I was thinking, "Why am I reading Boethius?"Some kid is watching this same cartoon and one day while in the woods a black bear is going to come up to him and the kid's going to think, "look it's a jolly nice bear."Then the next thing you know the bear is going to maul the kid and his mother is going to be heart broken.And you know who is to blame?Society, that's who.So I can go on reading Boethius or I can save some kid from the ravages of a wild bear.Why Boethius?

A Comprehensive Study of Boethius
For anyone interested in the thought of the Late Antique world, or in the intellectual milieu of the early and high Middle Ages, then this book will be of inestimable value.John Marenbon's Boethius (Great Medieval Thinkers) is a storehouse for the main principles of Boethius' Greek Neo-Platonism, Christian Theology, Aristotelian Logic, and Latin literature, all of which left there mark upon later thinkers.In this work, Marenbon begins by reconstructing the historical aspects of Boethius' life, such as his rise to being elected Consul up to his tradgic fall on account of the trumped-up charges of treason placed upon him by the Gothic regime.Also in this historical sketch, Marenbon vindicates the Christianity of Boethius while detailing the intricacies of his famous text the Consolation, which makes no outward mention of any alliance with Christianity.Also detailedsummaries are given as to his musical, astrological, mathematical, logical, theological, and philosophical works.Of these, particular attention is paid to Boethius' logical and philosophical writings, for the obvious reason that this is what consumed most of his time.Despite this, Marenbon's is a study which is most comprehensive and well-rounded, one that is quite similar to Henry Chadwick's in scope and worth.Overall, it should be said that this work should be used foremost as a model for the interpretation of the Consolation, in respect of the insights and suggestions he throws upon the text.Also the reader will be impressed with a more than satisfactory understanding of Boethius' logical, theological and philosophical systems as well.Marenbon's 'Boethius' is highly recommended. ... Read more

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The period from 1200 to 1500 laid the intellectual and institutional foundations for the Scientific Revolution that would occur in the seventeenth century. During this time, the spirit of inquiry motivated natural philosophers more than did substantive content or arguments. Natural philosophers posed hundreds of questions about nature and weighed the pros and cons of each. In the process, they developed a philosophical approach to nature that may be characterized as "probing and poking around"--they used their imaginations guided by reason.

In this volume, distinguished scholar Edward Grant identifies the vital elements that contributed to the creation of a widespread interest in natural philosophy, which has been characterized as the "Great Mother of the Sciences." He discusses how natural philosophy emerged in Western Europe in the Middle Ages with Latin translations of Aristotle's treatises on natural philosophy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; with universities devoting arts curriculums to Aristotle's rationalistic natural philosophy; and with Christian religious authorities coming to accept and even defend that philosophy.

Medieval natural philosophers, contrary to a common perception, did not slavishly follow Aristotle. Grant shows that they quite frequently disagreed with Aristotle and proposed their own solutions to many problems he raised. They did this by rejecting many of Aristotle's explanations about real physical phenomena and replacing them with radically different interpretations. Concepts and ideas that Aristotle regarded as naturally impossible--the existence of other worlds, for example-- were also investigated and deemed possible and intelligible.

The product of many years of extensive research, the essays included in this volume offer a significant contribution to the nature of natural philosophy and its influence on the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century. ... Read more

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A two-volume history of western philosophy designed to serve as a core text which can easily be supplemented by original sources. Except for a few brief paragraphs, no original sources are included. Strong integration of philosophy and the scientific, political, religious, and social context of different periods. ... Read more

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Medieval Jewish philosophers have been studied extensively by modern scholars, but even though their philosophical thinking was often shaped by their interpretation of the Bible, relatively little attention has been paid to them as biblical interpreters. In this study, Robert Eisen breaks new ground by analyzing how six medieval Jewish philosophers approached the Book of Job. These thinkers covered are Saadiah Gaon, Moses Maimonides, Samuel ibn Tibbon, Zerahiah Hen, Gersonides, and Simon ben Zemah Duran. Eisen explores each philosopher's reading of Job on three levels: its relationship to interpretations of Job by previous Jewish philosophers, the way in which it grapples with the major difficulties in the text, and its interaction with the author's systematic philosophical thought. Eisen also examines the resonance between the readings of Job of medieval Jewish philosophers and those of modern biblical scholars. What emerges is a portrait of a school of Joban interpretation that was creative, original, and at times surprisingly radical. Eisen thus demonstrates that medieval Jewish philosophers were serious exegetes whom scholars cannot afford to ignore. By bringing a previously-overlooked aspect of these thinkers' work to light, Eisen adds new depth to our knowledge of both Jewish philosophy and biblical interpretation. ... Read more

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ST. THOMAS AQUINAS AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY CHAPTER I THE RISE OF SCHOLASTICISM-ST. ANSELM (1034-1109) Much attention has been given, especially in recent times, to questions relating to evolution. This is a very broad subject, including in its various aspects many theories and discussions concerning the origin and development of all forms of created being and life. Naturally inquisitive and studious, man attempts to explain the nature of all things that come under his observation, and becomes deeply interested in the study of their origin and development, whether the subject of his investigation be the oak springing from:the acorn, the visible world created by Almighty God, or the human soul, created also by God, and gradually developing its faculties until man reaches the highest perfection attainable in this world. Some persons think that the most important study in evolution is offered by the visible world in which we live. The story of the Creation comes to us in an inspired b

Table of Contents

chapter page; I The Rise of Scholasticism-St Anselm (1034-; 1109); II Dangers and Abuses of Scholasticism-Abelard; (1079-1142) 17; III The Experimental Sciences-Albertus Magnus-; Roger Bacon 33; IV Condition of Philosophy in the Thirteenth Century-What St Thomas Found at Paris 50; V Influence of St Thomas on Philosophy 69; VI The Summa Theologica of St Thomas 87; VII Specimen Pages from the Summa Theologica of; St Thomas 109; Bibliography 129; CHARTS; facing; page; Latin Chart 87; English Chart 109

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve th ... Read more

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Emotions are the focus of intense debate both in contemporary philosophy and psychology and increasingly also in the history of ideas. Simo Knuuttila's book is the first comprehensive survey of philosophical theories of emotions from Plato to Renaissance times, combining careful historical reconstruction with rigorous philosophical analysis. Philosophers, classicists, historians of philosophy, historians of psychology, and anyone interested in emotion will find much to stimulate them in this fascinating book. ... Read more

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In this highly praised new translation of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, David R. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. Slavitt preserves the distinction between the alternating verse and prose sections in the Latin original, allowing us to appreciate the Menippian parallels between the discourses of literary and logical inquiry. His prose translations are lively and colloquial, conveying the argumentative, occasionally bantering tone of the original, while his verse translations restore the beauty and power of Boethius’s poetry. The result is a major contribution to the art of translation.

Those less familiar with Consolation may remember it was written under a death sentence. Boethius (c. 480–524), an Imperial official under Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome, found himself, in a time of political paranoia, denounced, arrested, and then executed two years later without a trial. Composed while its author was imprisoned, cut off from family and friends, it remains one of Western literature’s most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind. In an artful combination of verse and prose, Slavitt captures the energy and passion of the original. And in an introduction intended for the general reader, Seth Lerer places Boethius’s life and achievement in context.

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent resource
This volume is a strong companion to the Cambridge History of Later Medieval Philosophy (CHLMP).CHLMP is a superior volume, but this still is quite good, and covers a great deal of material that is often neglected in standard treatments of medieval philosophy.Indeed, many histories of the medieval period are criticized for failing to cover the very periods included in this volume.

By the way, the reference to D. M. Armstrong is not entirely Amazon's fault - the Cambridge University Press web site lists the book incorrectly as well. They don't even know the editor of their own book!!!

A.H. Armstrong-not D.M. Armstrong
I am just writing to say that if you intend to sell a book for 150$ you could provide the right information about it-the editor is not D.M. Armstrong-it is Arthur Hilary (A.H.) Armstrong-also the foremost translator of Plotinus into English and a leading scholar in the field. ... Read more

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The long-awaited second volume of The Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical Texts offers first-time English translations of major texts in ethics and political thought from one of the most fruitful periods of speculation and analysis in the history of Western thought. The seventeen texts in this anthology offer late medieval treatments of fundamental issues in human conduct that are both conceptually subtle and of direct practical import. This is an important resource for scholars and students of medieval philosophy, history, political science, theology and literature. ... Read more

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Volume 3 of "Medieval Philosophy and Theology" continues this annual journal's focus on original studies of medieval philosophy and theology. Encouraging a broad range of topics and approaches, the journal seeks to stimulate conversation and exchange across modern disciplinary boundaries and among contrasting, sometimes competing, scholarly methodologies and traditions. ... Read more

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John Buridan (ca. 1300-1362) has worked out perhaps the most comprehensive account of nominalism in the history of Western thought, the philosophical doctrine according to which the only universals in reality are "names": the common terms of our language and the common concepts of our minds. But these items are universal only in their signification; they are singular entities like any other in reality. This book examines what is most intriguing to contemporary readers in Buridan's medieval philosophical system: his nominalist account of the relationship between language, thought and reality. The main focus of the discussion is Buridan's deployment of the Ockhamist conception of a "mental language" for mapping the complex structures of written and spoken human languages onto a parsimoniously construed reality. Concerning these linguistic structures, this book carefully analyzes Buridan's conception of the radical conventionality of written and spoken languages, in contrast to the natural semantic features of concepts. The discussion pays special attention to Buridan's token-based semantics of terms and propositions, his conception of existential import, ontological commitment, truth, and logical validity. Finally, the book presents a detailed discussion of how these logical devices allow Buridan to maintain his nominalist position without giving up Aristotelian essentialism or yielding to skepticism, and pays special attention to contemporary concerns with these issues. ... Read more

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Influenced originally by Islamic theological speculation, classical philosophers and Christian Scholasticism of the Middle Ages, Jewish thinkers living in Islamic and Christian lands philosophized about Judaism from the ninth to fifteenth centuries. They reflected on the nature of language about God, the creation of the world, the possibility of human freedom and the relationship between divine and human law. This Companion presents major medieval Jewish thinkers in a comprehensive introduction to a vital period of Jewish intellectual history. ... Read more