Medieval Philosophy

Far from being monolithic and repetitive, the Middle Ages were a creative period during which multiple solutions were tried to make sense of the world and of human life. The legacy of Antiquity, the philosophic and scientific knowledge of the time, and religious views were combined in original syntheses. The aim of the course is to provide a picture of this diversity, through a study of the main problems that a wide range of authors (Christian thinkers from St. Augustine to Ockham, but also Islamic and Jewish philosophers) faced. Medieval philosophy was an important step in the development of human thought. Discovering it will be essential to your philosophical education. This course will especially highlight the ideas, in metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and ethics, which medieval thinkers created and transmitted to modern philosophy. In addition, analysis of texts, debates, and writing assignments will help you to develop rigorous argumentation and expression skills. (NB: This course was previously offered as PHIL 4407; you cannot take it if you took PHIL 4407)