A Brief History of Medieval Philosophy I

Description 

This course will provide an overview of the history of philosophy in the Latin West during the millennium that stretches from the 6th century to the 15th century. This epoch , as everyone knows, is characterized by the decisive influence of Christian faith on the cultural and doctrinal life of the West. We should begin by noting that the Middle Ages, according to some, forms a parenthesis — something like a void — in the history o f philosophy. And in light of this, we should ask: Can we be both Christians and genuine philosophers? Are faith and philosophy mutually exclusive, or not?

Table of contents 

Lesson 1: What “Philosophy” in the Middle Ages?

A. Forgetting and Resurrecting Medieval Philosophy

B. The Debate over “Christian Philosophy”

C. Current Methods of Research in Medieval Philosophy

Lesson 2: Saint Augustine

A. Saint Augustine’s Journey

B. Faith and Reason According to Saint Augustine

C. The Search for God - Truth

Lesson 3: The Early Middle Ages, from B oethius to John Scottus Eriugena (6 th to 9 th centuries)

A. The “Transmitters”: Boethius and Several Others

B. The Carolingian Renaissance

Lesson 4: Faith and Dialectic in the 11 th Century

A Brief History of M A. The Debate Surrounding the Application of Dialectic to Matters of the Faith

Lesson 5: The 12 th Century

A. The Rise and Development of the Urban Schools

B. The Monastery Schools

Lesson 6: The General Conditions of the 13 th Century

A. The University

B. The Mendicant Orders

C. The Philosophical Invasion