The Philosophy of Peter Abelard
The Philosophy of Peter Abelard
This book offers a major reassessment of the philosophy of Peter Abelard (1079-1142), which shows that he was a far more constructive and wider-ranging thinker than has usually been supposed. It combines detailed historical discussion, based on published and manuscript sources, with philosophical analysis that aims to make clear Abelard's central arguments about the nature of things, language and the mind, and about morality. Although the book concentrates on these philosophical questions, it places them within their theological and wider intellectual context.
- Offers a major reassessment of the twelfth-century philosopher Peter Abelard (famous in the context of 'Abelard and Heloise')
- Includes detailed studies of Abelard's life, with new datings, and all his writings
- Analyses previously unexamined areas of his thought
Reviews & endorsements
"The book is a literate, organized, readable presentation, which incorporates the latest research on every topic, whether historical, literary, theological, or philosophical." Dialogue
"...skillful and insightful...." Martin M. Tweedale, Philosophy in Review
"The author's writing is lucid and succinct, and his presentation flows extraordinarily well from chapter to chapter; his references to contemporary scholarship are quite helpful and complete,.... It is not likely, however, that Marenbon's work will soon be superseded as a survey of Abelard's philosophy, and his reevaluation of Abelard's work will surely provoke furthur discussion for some time to come." W. Becket Soule, O.P.; The Thomist
"John Marenbon is to be highly commended for providing scholars with the most definitive work to date." David Meconi, Review of Metaphysics
"Marenbon's fresh portrait of Abelard should have an influence on all future readings of the collected correspondence." -- Speculum, a Journal of Medieval Studies
Product details
September 1999Paperback
9780521663991
396 pages
229 × 152 × 22 mm
0.58kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Note on the reference system
- Introduction
- Part I:
- 1. A life
- 2. Teachings and writings on logic
- 3. Abelard's theological project
- Excursus I: the letters of Abelard and Heloise
- Conclusion: Abelard's logic and his theory
- Part II: Introduction
- 4. Logic, philosophy and exegesis
- 5. Substance, differentiae and accidents
- 6. Forms and language
- 7. Perception and knowledge
- 8. Universals
- Conclusion: dicta, non-things and the limits of Abelard's ontology
- Part III: Introduction
- 9. Ethics, God's power and his wisdom
- 10. God's goodness: theodicy and the meaning of 'good'
- 11. Act, intention and consent
- 12. Contempt, law and conscience
- 13. Virtue, love and merit
- Excursus II: love, selflessness and Heloise
- 14. Ethics, society and practice
- Conclusion: Abelard's theological doctrines and his philosophical ethics
- General conclusion
- Appendix: Abelard as a 'critical thinker'
- Select bibliography
- Index.
