In der Kantforschung zahlt Locke problemgeschichtlich gesehen zu den wichtigsten Vorgangern Kants. Die Forschung hat sich dabei - ahnlich wie Kant selbst - an Lockes opus magnum, dem Essay concerning Human Understanding, orientiert. Die Arbeit revidiert die landlaufige Ansicht, nach der die englische Aufklarung keinen massgeblichen Einfluss auf die deutsche gehabt habe. Lockes Nachlassschrift Of the Conduct of the Understanding hat u.a. auf Wolffs mathematische Methode und auf seine Unterscheidung zwischen mathematischer, historischer und philosophischer Erkenntnis eine erhebliche Wirkung ausgeubt sowie - uber die Vermittlung von Knutzen und Kypke - auch auf Kant. Die Erstlingsschrift Kants, die Gedanken von der wahren Schatzung der lebendigen Krafte, verdankt Lockes Nachlassschrift ebensoviel wie die skeptische Methode der Vernunftkritik, die quellengeschichtlich auf Lockes Konzept der "Gleichgultigkeit" des Verstandes zuruckverweist.

This book offers a brief, accessible introduction to the thought of Boethius. After a survey of Boethius's life and work, Marenbon explicates his theological method, and devotes separate chapters to his arguments about good and evil, fortune, fate and free will, and the problem of divine foreknowledge. Marenbon also traces Boethius's influence on the work of such thinkers as Aquinas and Duns Scotus.

Brian Davies offers a full-scale introduction to Aquinas's philosophy, collecting in one volume the best recent essays on Aquinas by some of the world's foremost scholars of medieval philosophy. Taken together they illuminate the entire spectrum of Aquinas's thought: philosophy of nature, logic, metaphysics, natural theology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of action and ethics. Philosophically rigorous, readable, informative, critical, and evaluative of the texts of Aquinas, the essays are framed by a detailed introduction providing an account of Aquinas's life, works, and his major philosophical conclusion.

Norman Kretzmann expounds and criticizes Aquinas's theology of creation, which is `natural' (or philosophical) in that Aquinas developed it without depending on the data of Scripture. Because of the special importance of intellective creatures like us, Aquinas's account of the divine origin and organization of the universe includes essential ingredients of his philosophy of mind. The Metaphysics of Creation is a continuation of the project Kretzmann began in The Metaphysics of Theism; as before, he not only explains Aquinas's natural theology, but advocates it as the best available to us.

Roger Bacon (1210-1292), einem bislang noch weithin vernachlassigten Denker, verdanken wir bahnbrechende Ideen auf dem Gebiet der Sprachtheorie, der "Scientia experimentalis" sowie der Moralphilosophie. Im vorliegenden Band sind philosophisch und wissenschaftsgeschichtlich bedeutsame Forschungsarbeiten aus den letzten 50 Jahren versammelt.

This compact collection of philosophical texts from the Summa Theologica --on God, creation, the soul, human acts, moral good and evil, love, habits, virtue, and law--is presented newly translated in abridged form and cast in a modified version of the medieval quaestio . Included are only the most important objections and Aquinas' replies; appeals to scriptural, theological, and philosophical authorities have been omitted. Unlike the ordering of the originals, questions and answers are here presented prior to objections and replies; the result is a sharp, rich, topically organized question-answer presentation of Aquinas' major philosophical arguments within a brief compass. A general Introduction, headnotes, a glossary, an index, and a select bibliography offer expert guidance to the work of this major philosopher.

From 1945 on for two decades, Father William Wade was Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at St. Louis University. This present volume, a recovery of his own 1935 Ph.D dissertation, was originally written under the direction of Vernon J. Bourke, later himself a renowned interpreter of both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Its themes continued to influence Father Wade throughout his life as Chairman and as a teacher of Philosophy. In this last role, he was known for his brilliant use of Socratic method. As a philosopher, he was by the rule of his Jesuit Order, and by choice, a Thomist. However, reading his dissertation one can see his profound respect for Augustine, and back beyond that for Plato, as well as a likely source of his affection for the method of Socrates. In his dissertation, Wade displays deep understanding of relationships between Greek and medieval thought as well as of the different influences of Plato and Aristotle by way of Augustine and Thomas. Centring on their theories of teaching and learning, his text presents accurate, concise, and readable expositions of Platonic and Aristotelian epistemologies, as these were developed by the later saints. Along the way, it offers a fine introduction to the two main streams in medieval philosophy and theology, with their respective logical, metaphysical, physical, psychological, educational, and semiotic doctrines. Any modern teacher of historical philosophy can read Father Wade's work for personal enjoyment and for a profitable aid toward classroom instruction.

A distinguished philosopher offers a novel account of experience and reason, and develops our understanding of conscious experience and its relationship to thought: a new reformed empiricism. The role of experience in cognition is a central and ancient philosophical concern. How, theorists ask, can our private experiences guide us to knowledge of a mind-independent reality? Exploring topics in logic, philosophy of mind, and epistemology, Conscious Experience proposes a new answer to this age-old question, explaining how conscious experience contributes to the rationality and content of empirical beliefs. According to Anil Gupta, this contribution cannot be determined independently of an agent's conceptual scheme and prior beliefs, but that doesn't mean it is entirely mind-dependent. While the rational contribution of an experience is not propositional-it does not, for example, provide direct knowledge of the world-it does authorize certain transitions from prior views to new views. In short, the rational contribution of an experience yields a rule for revising views. Gupta shows that this account provides theoretical freedom: it allows the observer to radically reconceive the world in light of empirical findings. Simultaneously, it grants empirical reason significant power to constrain, forcing particular conceptions of self and world on the rational inquirer. These seemingly contrary virtues are reconciled through novel treatments of presentation, appearances, and ostensive definitions. Collectively, Gupta's arguments support an original theory: reformed empiricism. He abandons the idea that experience is a source of knowledge and justification. He also abandons the idea that concepts are derived from experience. But reformed empiricism preserves empiricism's central insight: experience is the supreme epistemic authority. In the resolution of factual disagreements, experience trumps all.

The nature and content of the thought of Duns Scotus (c.1266-1308) remains largely unknown except by the expert. This book provides an accessible account of Scotus's theology, focusing both on what is distinctive in his thought, and on issues where his insights might prove to be of perennial value.

The philosophical writings of Duns Scotus, one of the most influential philosophers of the Later Middle Ages, are here presented in a volume that presents the original Latin with facing page English translation. CONTENTS: Foreword to the Second Edition. Preface. Introduction. Select Bibliography. I. Concerning Metaphysics II. Man's Natural Knowledge of God III. The Existence of God IV. The Unicity of God V. Concerning Human Knowledge VI. The Spirituality and Immortality of the Human Soul Notes. Index of Proper Names. Index of Subjects.

Im Mittelpunkt des vorliegenden Bandes steht die Untersuchung des Selbstverstandnisses der praktischen Wissenschaften, wie es sich im 13. und 14. Jahrhundert im Umkreis der Hoheren Fakultaten der Universitat sowie insbesondere innerhalb der Philosophie artikuliert. Die Frage nach der Wissenschaftsfahigkeit des uberlieferten juristischen und medizinischen Wissens sowie jene nach dem wissenschaftlichen Anspruch der Praktischen Philosophie, insbesondere der philosophischen Ethik, und der Theologie, verstanden als einer "scientia practica," beschreiben die Herausforderung, mit der sich die hier behandelten Autoren und Texte des Mittelalters beschaftigen. Insbesondere werden in den in diesem Band versammelten Einzeluntersuchungen die Beitrage von Albert dem Grossen, Thomas von Aquin, Johannes Duns Scotus und Wilhelm von Ockham zur Frage einer philosophischen Begrundung des Status des menschlichen Handlungswissens und der praktischen Wissenschaften gewurdigt."

This volume is a reference work, organized chronologically in its sections, with a separate entry for each translator's work. The sections are defined by the type of translations they comprise. The plan of the book is encyclopedic in nature: some biographical material is provided for each translator; the translations are described briefly, as are their linguistic peculiarities, their implied audiences, their links with other translations, and their general reception. Sample passages from the translations are provided, and where possible these samples are taken from two of the most well-known moments in the Consolatio: the appearance of Lady Philosophy, narrated by the Prisoner, and the cosmological hymn to the Deus of the work, sung by Lady Philosophy. Where possible, an attempt also has been made to keep the general appearance of the original printed pages. Orthographic peculiarities (in spelling, capitalization, indentation, etc.) except for the elongated "s" have been maintained. Notes inserted by the translators or editors upon the passages transcribed in this volume are maintained as footnotes. These notes are included because they reveal much about the scholarship that the translators bring to their work of translating. The notes signal the translators' familiarity with commentaries and earlier Consolatio translations, and they help to identify the types of audiences targeted by the translators (whether general or scholarly). The notes indicate points in the text (either grammatical or cultural) that translators or editors deemed needful of clarification for their readers, but the notes often also represent actual borrowings of notes, sometimes verbatim, from earlier translations. Such "borrowed notes" help to establish or verify lines of affiliation between the translations.

Das Universalienproblem - die Frage nach der Erkenntnis der Natur des Allgemeinen -, das seit der griechischen Antike zu den zentralen Problemen philosophischen Denkens zahlt, besitzt fur die Gegenwart nicht nur philosophischen Wert, sondern liegt zugleich vielfach wichtigen Streitpunkten in verschiedenen Wissenschaften zugrunde. Woehler legt eine Auswahl der wichtigsten Primarquellen, ausgehend von der beruhmten Isagoge des Porphyrios und deren Kommentierung durch Boethius bis zu Anselm von Canterbury und Johannes von Salisbury vor, wobei er die arabische Tradition (Avicenna, Averroes) mit einbezieht. Erstmals werden in dieser Breite dem deutschen Leser Texte mit dem Ziel zur Verfugung gestellt, die wesentlichen Entwicklungslinien des Streits um die Universalien mitvollziehen zu koennen. In seinem umfangreichen Nachwort gibt Woehler uber die Texterlauterungen hinaus einen UEberblick uber die Geschichte des Universalienstreits und seinen Verlauf bis zur Fruhscholastik. Erganzt wird der Band durch ein deutsch-lateinisches Glossar.

The Middle Ages span a period of well over a millennium: from the emperor Constantine's Christian conversion in 312 to the early sixteenth century. David Luscombe's history of Medieval Thought steers a clear path through this long period, beginning with the three greatest influences on medieval philosophy: Augustine, Boethius, and Pseudo-Denis, and focusing on Abelard, Anselm, Aquinas, Ockham, Duns Scotus, and Eckhart amongst others in the twelfth to fifteenth centuries.

Jacques Maritain was deeply engaged in the intellectual and political life of France through the turbulent decades that included the two world wars. Accordingly, his philosophical reflections often focus on an attempt to discover man's role in sustaining a social and political order that seeks and maintains both liberty and peace. "Scholasticism and Politics", first published in 1940, is a collection of nine lectures Maritain delivered at the University of Chicago in 1938. While the lectures address a variety of diverse topics, they explore three broad topics: the nature of modern culture, its relationship to Christianity, and the origins of the crisis which has engulfed it; the true nature and authentic foundations of human freedom and dignity and the threats posed to them by the various materialist and naturalistic philosophies that dominate the modern cultural scene; and, the principles that provide the authentic foundation of a social order in accord with human dignity. Maritain championed the cause of what he called personalist democracy - a regime committed to popular sovereignty, constitutionalism, limited government, and individual freedom. He believed a personalist democracy offered the modern world the possibility of a political order most in keeping with the demands of human dignity, Christian values, and the common good.

German Philosophers contains studies of four of the most important German theorists: Kant, arguably the most influential modern philosopher; Hegel, whose philosophy inspired an enduring vision of a communist society; Schopenhauer, renowned for his pessimistic preference for non-existence; and Nietzsche, who has been appropriated as an icon by an astonishingly diverse spectrum of people.

This authoritative edition was originally published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together an extensive collection of Bacon's writing - the major prose in full, together with sixteen other pieces not otherwise available - to give the essence of his work and thinking. Although he had a distinguished career as a lawyer and statesman, Francis Bacon's lifelong goal was to improve and extend human knowledge. In The Advancement of Learning (1605) he made a brilliant critique of the deficiencies of previous systems of thought and proposed improvements to knowledge in every area of human life. He conceived the Essays (1597, much enlarged in 1625) as a study of the formative influences on human behaviour, psychological and social. In The New Atlantis (1626) he outlined his plan for a scientific research institute in the form of a Utopian fable. In addition to these major English works this edition includes 'Of Tribute', an important early work here printed complete for the first time, and a revealing selection of his legal and political writings, together with his poetry. A special feature of the edition is its extensive annotation which identifies Bacon's sources and allusions, and glosses his vocabulary. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

A provocative work that explores the evolution of emotions and personal relationships through diverse cultures and time. "An intellectually dazzling view of our past and future."--Time magazine

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone," Blaise Pascal wrote in 1654. But then there's Walt Whitman, in 1856: "Whoever you are, come forth! Or man or woman come forth! / You must not stay sleeping and dallying there in the house." It is truly an ancient debate: Is it better to be active or contemplative? To do or to think? To make an impact, or to understand the world more deeply? Aristotle argued for contemplation as the highest state of human flourishing. But it was through action that his student Alexander the Great conquered the known world. Which should we aim at? Centuries later, this argument underlies a surprising number of the questions we face in contemporary life. Should students study the humanities, or train for a job? Should adults work for money or for meaning? And in tumultuous times, should any of us sit on the sidelines, pondering great books, or throw ourselves into protests and petition drives? With Action versus Contemplation, Jennifer Summit and Blakey Vermeule address the question in a refreshingly unexpected way: by refusing to take sides. Rather, they argue for a rethinking of the very opposition. The active and the contemplative can-and should-be vibrantly alive in each of us, fused rather than sundered. Writing in a personable, accessible style, Summit and Vermeule guide readers through the long history of this debate from Plato to Pixar, drawing compelling connections to the questions and problems of today. Rather than playing one against the other, they argue, we can discover how the two can nourish, invigorate, and give meaning to each other, as they have for the many writers, artists, and thinkers, past and present, whose examples give the book its rich, lively texture of interplay and reference. This is not a self-help book. It won't give you instructions on how to live your life. Instead, it will do something better: it will remind you of the richness of a life that embraces action and contemplation, company and solitude, living in the moment and planning for the future. Which is better? Readers of this book will discover the answer: both.

From the days of antiquity to the time of the Middle Ages, intellectuals have widely assumed that stars were alive, a belief that gave the cosmos an important position not only in Greek religion, but also in discussions of human psychology and eschatology. In the third century AD, the Christian theologian Origen included such Hellenistic theories on the life and nature of the stars in his cosmology, a theory that would have important implications for early Christian theology. Moving through a wide range of Greek, Latin, and Oriental sources from antiquity to medieval times, this is the first thorough treatment of Origen's biblical theology. The second book in the new Oxford Early Christian Studies series, Origen and the Life of the Stars provides a new look at the roots of early Christian thought.

Die MISCELLANEA MEDIAEVALIA prasentieren seit ihrer Grundung durch Paul Wilpert im Jahre 1962 Arbeiten des Thomas-Instituts der Universitat zu Koeln. Das Kernstuck der Publikationsreihe bilden die Akten der im zweijahrigen Rhythmus stattfindenden Koelner Mediaevistentagungen, die vor uber 50 Jahren von Josef Koch, dem Grundungsdirektor des Instituts, ins Leben gerufen wurden. Der interdisziplinare Charakter dieser Kongresse pragt auch die Tagungsakten: Die MISCELLANEA MEDIAEVALIA versammeln Beitrage aus allen mediavistischen Disziplinen - die mittelalterliche Geschichte, die Philosophie, die Theologie sowie die Kunst- und Literaturwissenschaften sind Teile einer Gesamtbetrachtung des Mittelalters.