Medieval Philosophy
In this course, we look at philosophy from around the 4th to the 14th centuries. In the Autumn semester, 2024, 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.
Earlier Semesters
2022 Autumn syllabus; course site (with slides, etc.)
2020 Spring syllabus
2019 Spring syllabus
2018 Spring syllabus
Assignments, 2024 Autumn
Argument reconstruction exercise
Summative paper
Class Schedule, 2024 Autumn
| Date | Topic | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 26/09 | Introduction; faith and reason |
Lewis, Discarded Image; Aquinas, ST I.1.1-4 |
| 03/10 | Augustine on free will and evil | On Free Choice of the Will I |
| 10/10 | John Damascene: choice and will | An Exposition of Orthodox Faith, 3.14 |
| 17/10 | Anselm and the Fall of the Devil | On the Fall of the Devil (sel.) |
| 24/10 | Free will in Arabic philosophy; Al-Ghazali | Al-Ghazali, Incoherence (sel.) |
| 31/10 | Reading week | (no class) |
| 7/11 | Aquinas on Free Choice | Summa theologiae I, q. 83 |
| 14/11 | Henry of Ghent on Will and Intellect | Quodlibet I, q. 14 |
| 21/11 | Duns Scotus on willing happiness | Ordinatio IV, supp. d. 49, qq. 9–10 |
| 28/11 | Marguerite of Porete on will and virtues | Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls (sel.) |
| 05/12 | Free will in Jewish philosophy | Josef Albo, Book of Principles, IV.25, 27 |