Medieval Philosophy
In this course, we look at philosophy from around the 4th to the 14th centuries. In the Autumn semester, 2022, we will be especially concerned with problems related to free will: how authors in our period characterized free will; whether they thought we had any; and some of the emerging philosophical and theological issues.
2022 Autumn syllabus – BA
2022 Autumn syllabus – MA
2020 Spring syllabus
2019 Spring syllabus
2018 Spring syllabus
Assignments, 2022 Autumn
Argument reconstruction paper (BA students)
Argument reconstruction and response (MA students)
Summative paper
Class Schedule, 2022 Autumn
| Date | Topic | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 30/09 | Introduction; faith and reason |
Lewis, Discarded Image; Aquinas, ST I.1.1-4 |
| 07/10 | Augustine on free will and evil | On Free Choice of the Will I |
| 14/10 | Boethius and the problem of foreknowledge | The Consolation of Philosophy (sel.) |
| 21/10 | Anselm and the Fall of the Devil | On the Fall of the Devil (sel.) |
| 28/10 | Free will in Arabic philosophy; Al-Ghazali | Al-Ghazali, Incoherence (sel.) |
| 04/11 | Reading week | (no class) |
| 11/11 | Aquinas on Free Choice | Summa theologiae I, q. 83 |
| 18/11 | Henry of Ghent on Will and Intellect | Quodlibet I, q. 14 |
| 25/11 | Duns Scotus on willing happiness | Ordinatio IV, supp. d. 49, qq. 9–10 |
| 02/12 | Marguerite of Porete on will and virtues | Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls (sel.) |
| 09/12 | Free will in Jewish philosophy | Josef Albo, Book of Principles, IV.25, 27 |