HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY II:
MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
Course Description
The theme that runs throughout the course of medieval philosophy is the compatibility of faith and reason. ‘Medieval’ means ‘middle period’ between two great flowerings of culture, between Plotinus and Renaissance. Even when society evolved and underwent radical transformation, such that the language of the people and their thought patterns were no longer that of the great medieval thinkers, the Church still insisted that the ‘truths of faith’ be taught according to old concepts and thought patterns. We discuss in some detail the philosophy of the great medieval thinkers such as St. Augustine, St. Anselm of Canterbury, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dun Scotus, and William of Ockham. The discussion also covers the thoughts of Avicenna, Al Ghazali, Averroes, and Moses Maimonides.
Bibliography
Afran, Soheil. Avicenna: His life and works. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1958.
Anslem of Canterbury. Truth, Freedom and Evil: Three Philosophical Dialogues, trans. Jasper Hopkins. New York, 1967.
Bett, H. Johannes. Scotus Eriugena: A Study in Medieval Philosophy. Cambridge: The University Press, 1925.
Copleston, F. A History philosophy: Medieval Philosophy, Vol.2, 1993.
Clark, Mary. Augustine: Philosophy of Freedom. New York, Desclee, 1959.
Gilson, E. History of Christian philosophy in the Middle Ages, 1995.
Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio, Vatican, 1998.
Dr. Libin Joseph CST
03 June 2024
- Teacher: Libin Kozhikkottu
