A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY VOLUME II Medieval Philosophy Frederick Copleston, S.J. ~ IMAGE- BOOKS DOUBLEDAY New York London Toronto Sydney Auckland CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION 1 AN IMAGE BOOK PART I PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY PRE-MEDIAEVAL INFLUENCE& a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036 II. THE PATRISTIC PERIOD 13 Christianity and Greek philosophy-Greek Apologists IMAGE, DOUBLEDAY, and the portrayal of a deer drinking from (A ristides , St. Justin Martyr, Tatian. Athenagoras, a stream are trademarks of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Theophilus)-Gnosticism and writers against Gnosticism (St. Irenaeus. Hippolytus)-Latin Apologists (Minucius Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Felix, Tertullian. Arnobius. Lactantius)-Catechetical School of Alexandria (Clement, Origen)-Greek Fathers (St. Basil, Eusebius. St. Gregory of Nyssa)-Latin First Image Books edition of Volume II of A History of Philosophy published 1962 Fathers (St. Ambrose)-St. John Damascene-Summary. by special arrangement with The Newman Press. III. ST. AUGUSTINE-I Life and writings-St. Augustine and Philosophy. This Image edition published April 1993 IV. ST. AUGUSTINE-II: KNOWLEDGE 51 Knowledge with a view to beatitude-Against scepticism De Licentia Superiorum Ordinis: Martinus D'Arcy, S.J., Praep. Provo Ang!iae _Experiential knowledge-Nature of sensation-Divine ideas-Illumination and Abstraction. Nihil Obstat: T. Corbishley, S.J. Censor Deputatus V. ST. AUGUSTINE-III: GOD . 68 Imprimatur: Joseph, Archiepiscopus BirmiDgamiensis Die 24 Aprilis 1948 Proof of God from eternal truths-Proofs from creatures and from universal consent-The various proofs as stages in one process-Attributes of God-Exemplarism. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data VI. ST. AUGUSTINE-IV: THE WORLD 74 Copleston, Frederick Charles. Free creation out of nothing-Matter-Rationes seminales A history of philosophy / Frederick Copleston. -Numbers-Soul and body-Immortality-Origin of p. cm. soul. Includes bibliographical references and indexes .. VII. ST. AUGUSTINE-V: MORAL THEORY 81 Contents: V. 1. Greece and Rome-v. 2. Augustine to Scotus-v. Happiness and God-Freedom and Obligation-Need of 3. Middle Ages and early Renaissance. grace-Evil-the two Cities. 1. Philosophy, Ancient. 2. Philosophy, Medieval. 3. Philosophy, VIII. ST. AUGUSTINE-VI: THE STATE Renaissance. I. Title. The State and the City of Babylon not identical-The B72.C62 1993 pagan State does not embody true justice-Church 190-dc20 92-34997 superior to State. CIP IX. THE PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS 91 Volume II copyright 1950 by Frederick Copleston Writings and author-Affirmative way-Negative way­ Neo-Platonic interpretation of Trinity-Ambiguous teach- ISBN 0-385-46844-X ing on creation-Problem of evil-Orthodoxy or un~­ thodoxy? 3 5 798 642 X. BOETHIUS. CASSIODORUS. ISIDORE 101 All Rights Reserved Boethius's transmission of Aristotelian ideas-Natural theology-Influence on Middle Ages-Cassiodorus on the PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA seven liberal arts and the spirituality of the soul­ Isidore's Etymologies and Senlences. CONTENTS CONTENTS PART II PART IV THE CAROLINGIAN RENAISSANCE ISLAMIC AND JEWISH PHILOSOPHY TRANSLATIONS Chaplet' Claapler P." XI. THE CAROLINGIAN RENAISSANCE. XIX. ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY 186 Charlemagne-Alcuin and the Palatine School-Other Reasons for discussing Islamic philosophy-Origins of schools, curriculum, libraries-Rhabanus Maurus. Islamic philosophy-AUarabi - A vicenna-Averroes­ Dante and the Arabian philosophers. XII. JOHN SCOTUS ERIUGENA-I 1I2 XX. JEWISH PHILOSOPHY . 201 Life and works. The Cabala-Avicebron-Maimonides. XIII. JOHN SCOTUS ERIUGENA-II 1I6 XXI. THE TRANSLATIONS 205 Nature-God and creation-Knowledge of God by affir­ The translated works-Transl_tions from Greek and from mativeand negative ways; inapplicability of categories Arabic-Effects of translations and opposition to Aris­ to God-How, then, can God be said to have made the totelianism. world?-Divine Ideas in the Word-Creatures as partici­ pations and theophanies; creatures are in God-Man's PART nature-Return of all things to God-Eternal punish- V ment in light of cosmic return-Interpretation of John THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY Scotus's system. XXII, INTRODUCTION 212 PART III The University of Paris-Universities closed and privi- leged corporations-Curriculum-Religious Orders at THE TENTH, ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH CENTURIES Paris-Currents of thought in the thirteenth century. XIV. THE PROBLEM OF UNIVERSALS 136 XXIII. WILLIAM OF AUVERGNE 218 Situation following death of Charlemagne-Origin of dis­ Reasons for treating of William of Auvergne-Cod and cussion in texts of Porphyry and Boethius-Importance creatures; essence and existencfr-Creation by God of the problem-Exaggerated realism-Roscelin's 'nomi­ directly and in time-Proofs of God's existence-Hylo­ nalism'-St. Peter Damian's attitude to dialectic­ morphism-The soul-Knowledge-William of Auvergne William of Champeaux-Abelard-Gilbert de la Porr~ a transition-thinker. and John of Salisbury-Hugh of St. Victor-St. Thomas Aquinas. XXIV. ROBERT GROSSETESTE AND ALEXANDER OF HALES 228 (a) Robert Grosseteste's life and writings-Doctrine of XV. ST. ANSELM OF CANTERBURY 156 light-God and creatures-Doctrine of truth and of illu­ St. Anselm as philosopher-Proofs of God's existence in mination. the Monoiocium-The proof of God's existence in the (6) Alexander of Hales's attitude to philosophy-Proofs Prosiocium-Idea of truth and other Augustinian elements of God's existence-The divine attributes-Comp08ition in St. Anselm's thought. in creatures-Soul, intellect, will-Spirit of Alexander's philosophy. XVI. THE SCHOOL OF CHARTRES . 166 XXV, ST. BONAVENTURE-I 240 Universalism of Paris, and systematisation of sciences in Life and works-Spirit-Theology and philosophy­ twelfth century-Regionalism, humanism-Platonism of Attitude to Aristotelianism. Chartres-Hylomorphism at Chartres-Prima facie pan­ theism-John of Salisbury's political theory. XXVI. ST. BONAVENTURE-II: GoD'S EXISTENCE 250 Spirit of Bonaventure's proofs of God's existence- XVII. THE SCHOOL OF ST. VICTOR 175 Proofs from sensible world-A priari knowledge of God Hugh of St. Victor; proofs of God's existence, faith, -The Anselmian argument-Argument from truth. mysticism-Richard of St. Victor; proofs of God's exis­ tence-Godfrey of St. Victor and Walter of St. Victor. XXVII. ST. BONAVENTURE-III: RELATION OF CREATURES TO GoD 258 XVIII. DUALISTS AND PANTHEISTS 183 Exemplarism-The divine knowledge-Impossibility of Albigensians and Cathari-Amalric of Bene--David of creation from eternity-Errors which follow from denial Oinant. of exemplarism and creation-Likeness of creatures to God, an&logy-II this world the best possible world? CONTENTS CONTENTS Cllapur Pag, Chapter XXXVII. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-VII: PSYCHOLOGY 375 XXVIII. ST. BONAVENTURE-IV: THE MATERIAL CREATION One substantial form in man-The powers of the soul­ Hylomorphic composition in all creatures-Individuation The interior senses-Free will-The noblest faculty­ -Light-·-Plurahty of forms-Rahones semlnales. Immortality-The active and passive intellects are not numerically the same in all men. XXIX. ST. BONAVENTURE-V: THE HUMAN SOUL Unity of human soul-Relation of soul to body~Immor­ XXXVIII. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-VIII: KNOWLEDGE talityof the human soul-Fal~lty of ;\verrOlsbc mono­ 'Theory of knowledge' in St. Thomas-The process of psychism-Knowledge of sensible o.bJects an~ of first knowledge; knowledge of the universal and of the parti­ logical principles-Knowledge of spmtual realities-illu­ cular-The soul's knowledge of itself-The possibility of mination-The soul's ascent to God-Bonaventure as metaphysics. philosopher of the Christian life. XXXIX. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-IX: MORAL THEORY. XXX. ST. ALBERT THE GREAT 293 Eudaemonism-The vision of God-Good and bad-The Life and intellectual activity-Philosophy and theology virtues-The natural law-The eternal law and the -God-·Creation-The soul-Reputation and importance foundation of morality in God-Natural virtues recognised of St. Albert. by St. Thomas which were not recognised by Aristotle; the virtue of religion. XXXI. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-I 302 Life-Works-Mode of exposing St. Thomas's philosophy XL. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-X: POLITICAL THEORY 412 --The spirit of St. Thomas's philosophy. St. Thomas and Aristotle-The natural origin of human society and government-Human society and political XXXII. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-II: PHILOSOPHY AND authority willed by God-Church and State-Individual THEOLOGY 312 and State - Law - Sovereignty - Constitutions - St. Distinction betwcpn philosophy and theology-Moral Thomas's political theory an integral part of his total necessity of revelation-Incompatibility of fait~ and system. science in the same mind concernmg the same obJect­ Note on St. Thomas's aesthetic theory. Natural end and supernatural end-St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure-St. Thomas as 'innovator'. XLI. ST. THOMAS AND ARISTOTLE: CONTROVERSIES St. Thomas's utilisation of Aristotle-Non-Aristotelian XXXIII. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS-III: PRINCIPLES OF CREATED elements in Thomism-Latent tensions in the Thomist BEING 3~ synthesis-Opposition to Thomist 'novelties'. Reasons for starting with corporeal being-Hylomorphism -Rejection of rationes semina!es-Rejection of. plurality XLII. LATIN AVERROISM: SIGER OF BRABANT 435 of substantial forms-RestTictlOn of hylomorphlc compo- Tenets of the 'Latin Averroists'-Siger of Brabant- sition to corporeal substances-Potentiality and act­ Dante and Siger of Brabant-Opposition