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180021 SE Scientific Truth or Revelation? (2017W)
An Introduction to Philosophy in the Long Middle Ages
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Fr 08.09.2017 12:00 to Fr 22.09.2017 12:00
- Registration is open from Mo 25.09.2017 12:10 to Fr 29.09.2017 12:00
- Deregistration possible until Tu 31.10.2017 12:00
Details
max. 30 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Tuesday 21.11. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 22.11. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 28.11. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 29.11. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 12.12. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 13.12. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 09.01. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 10.01. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 16.01. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 17.01. 09:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3C, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Students will be asked to write a short essay (c. 1000 words; focused on a particular passage); give a class presentation; and write a longer essay (c. 2000 words). Essays and presentations can be in English or German.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The elements will contribute to the final grade as follows: short essay 20%; class presentation 20%; longer essay 40%; attendance and contribution to class discussions 20%. At minimum, for a satisfactory grade, students must perform acceptably in all of these three elements and attend at least 80% of the course (unless given special permission for greater absence).
Examination topics
Reading list
Primary TextsABELARD, Peter, Collatio II (Dialogue between the Philosopher and the Christian), in J. Marenbon and G. Orlandi, eds., Collationes, translated by J. Marenbon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2001).AVERROES, Decisive Treatise, in his Decisive Treatise and Epistle Dedicatory, translated by C.E. Butterworth (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2001), pp. 1-33. [Parallel text, with introduction and notes]BOETHIUS Consolation of Philosophy - many translations available,, in English, German and other languages. The best English version is that by Joel Relihan (Indianapolis and Cambridge; Hackett, 2001).BOETHIUS OF DACIA, On the Eternity of the World, in his On the Supreme Good, on the Eternity of the World, on Dreams, translated by J.F. Wippel (Toronto, ON: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1987), pp. 36-67.MAIMONIDES, Moses, Guide of the Perplexed, translated by S. Pines. Vol. 2 (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1974), pp. 289-333.POMPONAZZI, On the Immortality of the Soul (De Immortalitate Animae), in E. Cassirer, P.O. Kristeller and J.H. Randall, eds., The Renaissance Philosophy of Man (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1984), pp. 280-381.(I have given English translations, because it is on these that we shall primarily work. German translations are also available of most of these works – the texts by Maimonides and Pomponazzi are both in the Philosophische Bibliothek (Meiner); Averroes by (recommended) Frank Griffel, Berlin: Insel Verlag, 2010).Secondary ReadingFull secondary reading lists will be issued at the time of the course. The following general surveys may be useful as Introductions:ADAMSON, Peter, and Richard C. TAYLOR, eds., The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.DE LIBERA, Alain, La philosophie médiévale (Paris : Presses universitaires de France, 1995 – 2nd edn).MARENBON, John, Medieval Philosophy: an Historical and Philosophical Introduction (London: Routledge, 2007).MARENBON, John, Medieval Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016).NADLER, Steven, and Tamar M. RUDAVSKY, eds., The Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy from Antiquity through the Seventeenth Century. 2 Vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).PASNAU, Robert, The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy. 2 Vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).The following book (by myself) introduces many of the themes to be discussed in this course:MARENBON, John, Pagans and Philosophers: The Problem of Paganism from Augustine to Leibniz (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015).
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:36
This course aims to introduce students to the western philosophy in the Long Middle Ages by looking in detail at how a single central theme is treated in six important texts. Western philosophy is taken to include the Greek, Latin, Arabic and Jewish traditions. The Long Middle Ages arguably stretch from c. 200 to c. 1700, but this course will be confined to the period from c. 500 – just after 1500. The theme is indicated by the title: ‘Scientific Truth or Revelation?’ All the thinkers of the period worked within a religious tradition: Jewish, Christian or Muslim. Many of them looked to the ancient, pagan philosophical and scientific tradition, especially as represented by Aristotle, in order to understand themselves and the universe. What were the different ways in which they handled the relationship between these two main sources of knowledge? How did they handle the areas where religious doctrine and their best science were in conflict?Contents
The central content is defined by the primary texts, listed below.Methods
Since this is an introductory course, I shall aim to provide an introduction to the particular texts we examine, both by outlining some of the central developments in philosophy at the time and explaining the background to the problems discussed. We shall also look at the primary texts in detail, analysing passages and discussing their interpretation and the problems they raise. Two of the sessions will be mainly devoted to presentations by students.