History of the Problem of Universals in the Middle Ages: Notes and Texts Paul Vincent Spade Philosophy P401/P515 Fall 2009 History of the Problem of Universals in the Middle Ages: Notes and Texts Copyright ÓÓ 2009 by Paul Vincent Spade Table of Contents Part One: Notes .................................................................................................. 8 Porphyry the Phoenician, Isagoge.................................................................. 9 Boethius, From his Second Commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge................ 15 Peter Abelard, From the “Glosses on Porphyry” in His Logica ‘ingredientibus’ ............................................................................................ 17 John of Salisbury ...................................................................................... 17 Outline of Part of the Passage from the Logica ‘ingredientibus’.............. 17 Notes on the Passage from the Logica ‘ingredientibus’ ........................... 21 John Duns Scotus, Six Questions on Individuation from His Ordinatio, ii, d. 3, pars 1, qq. 1–6 ................................................................ 27 Notes to Question 1 .................................................................................. 27 Note to Question 2.................................................................................... 27 Note to Question 3.................................................................................... 28 Notes to Question 4 .................................................................................. 28 Notes to Questions 5 and 6 ....................................................................... 29 William of Ockham, Five Questions on Universals from his Ordinatio, d. 2, qq. 4–8 ................................................................................ 31 Notes to Question 4 .................................................................................. 31 Notes to Question 5 .................................................................................. 33 Notes to Question 6 .................................................................................. 33 Notes to Question 7 .................................................................................. 34 Notes to Question 8 .................................................................................. 36 Part Two: Texts ................................................................................................ 39 Porphyry the Phoenician, From his Exposition of Aristotle’s Categories by Question and Answer (on Aristotle, Categories, 1, 1a1-2) ........................................................................................................... 41 Boethius, From His Second Commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge, iii, 11.................................................................................................................. 43 Porphyry’s Text ......................................................................................... 43 Boethius’ Commentary .............................................................................. 43 Boethius, From his Second Commentary on Aristotle’s De interpretatione, ii, 7 (on De int. 7, 17a38–b3).............................................. 45 Aristotle’s Text .......................................................................................... 45 Boethius’ Commentary .............................................................................. 45 Boethius, Two Texts from His Theological Tractates ................................. 49 From Contra Eutychen, i.1–71 ................................................................. 49 From De trinitate, i.7–ii.58....................................................................... 51 Fridugisus of Tours, On the Being of Nothing and Shadows ....................... 55 On the Being of Nothing........................................................................... 55 On the Being of Shadows ......................................................................... 57 Odo of Tournai, From his On Original Sin .................................................. 61 On Genera and Species and Individuals ................................................... 61 That in Every Case the Individual is to Be Distinguished from the Species...................................................................................................... 62 That the Nature’s Guilt Is in the Person’s Guilt........................................ 62 How Human Nature Does Not Sin by Itself, But Through a Person ........ 63 That Human Nature Cannot Be Transmitted to Other Persons Without Guilt............................................................................................ 63 Peter Abelard, Miscellaneous Passages from His Dialectica and Logica ‘ingredientibus’ ................................................................................ 65 From Dialectica, p. 541.24–37................................................................. 65 From the Logica ‘ingredientibus’, the “Glosses on the Categories”, p. 112.5–6................................................................................................. 66 From the Logica ‘ingredientibus’, the “Glosses on the Categories”, p. 113.26–29............................................................................................. 67 From the Logica ‘ingredientibus’, the “Glosses on the De interpretatione”, p. 315.26–37................................................................. 67 Passages from the School of Chartres .......................................................... 69 Gilbert of Poitiers, De trinitate, i, 1, 21 and 27–29, ed. cit., pp. 76– 77.............................................................................................................. 69 Gilbert, De trinitate, i, 5, 24, ed. cit., p. 144............................................. 70 Clarenbald of Arras, Tractatus super Boetii De trinitate, i, 12–15, ed. cit., pp. 90–91. .................................................................................... 70 Five Passages from Avicenna, on Common Nature..................................... 73 Logica, iii, fol. 12ra ................................................................................... 73 4 Ibid............................................................................................................ 73 Metaphysica, v, 1, Van Riet, ed., ii, p. 228.31–36; 1508 ed., fol. 86va............................................................................................................ 74 Ibid., Van Riet, ed., ii, p. 231.74–81; 1508 ed., fol. 86vb.......................... 74 Ibid., Van Riet ed., ii, pp. 233.36–234.44; 1508 ed., fol. 87ra .................. 74 Walter Burley, On Universals ...................................................................... 75 Porphyry’s Text ......................................................................................... 75 Burley’s Commentary............................................................................... 76 Explanation of Porphyry’s questions.................................................... 76 The usefulness of the Isagoge............................................................... 77 Doubts about universals........................................................................ 78 Discussion of Doubt I ........................................................................... 79 Discussion of Doubt II.......................................................................... 80 Discussion of Doubt III......................................................................... 81 The Theory that Universals Are the Same as Their Individuals ....... 81 The Theory that Universals are Distinct from Their Individuals ...... 86 Objections......................................................................................... 90 Replies to the Objections .................................................................. 93 Discussion of Doubt V.......................................................................... 99 Plato’s Theory................................................................................... 99 Augustine’s Theory......................................................................... 102 Continuation of the Discussion of Doubt I: The Fictum-Theory ........ 111 Walter Burley, Treatise on Matter and Form (= “On the Two First Principles”)................................................................................................. 115 Walter Chatton, Reportatio, i, d. 3, q. 2: “Whether any concept is common and univocal to God and creature?” ............................................ 121 William of Ockham, Summa Logicae, Part i, Chs. 14–17.......................... 143 Chapter 14 .............................................................................................. 143 Chapter 15 .............................................................................................. 145 Chapter 16 .............................................................................................. 149 Chapter 17 .............................................................................................. 151 William of Ockham, Commentary on Aristotle’s On Interpretation, Prologue, §§ 3–10 (Commentary on 16a3–6) ............................................ 157 5 Section 3: What is a passion of the soul or concept?.................................. 157 Section 4: Is a ‘passion’ a quality of the soul distinct from the act of understanding?........................................................................................