preface Introduction Chapter 1. Medieval Philosophy and Common Sense Chapter 2. Medieval Philosophy and the Sciences Chapter 3. Medieval Philosophy and Methodology Chapter 4. What Philosophers Used to Know (The art of distinctions) Chapter 5. The Best Argument for the Existence of God (Scotus’ De Primo Principio) Chapter 6. Medieval Philosophy and the Problem of Western Disenchantment bibliography index
A lively defence and elucidation of medieval philosophy asking why it matters and how it's relevant to how we live and think now
Stephen Boulter is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics, Oxford Brookes University, UK. He is author of The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy (2007) and Metaphysics from a Biological Point of View (2013).
This volume is important for recognizing the value of medieval
philosophy and its place in Western intellectual history. Scholarly
yet accessible, the book will be embraced by both specialists and
generalists, including those who wish to expand their interests
beyond texts assigned in most introductory philosophy courses.
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through
faculty.
*CHOICE*
Stephen Boulter’s book provides a cogent answer to the question of
why medieval philosophy matters, by making the case that the
scholastics had a distinctive and strong sense of their identity
and utility within society as philosophers – a sense that has to
some degree been forgotten in the modern era. The medievals saw
themselves as usefully engaged in addressing important questions
arising within the sciences and explored within society at large;
their texts paradigmatically convey to the reader a sense of the
value of philosophy and of the philosopher’s intellectual
responsibilities and goals within society at large. The book will
be a useful read for anyone, including those who might want to
critically engage with its overall argument.
*Anna Marmodoro, Professor of Philosophy, Durham University and
Research Fellow, Corpus Christi, University of Oxford, UK*
This stimulating and highly original book makes a powerful case for
the relevance of medieval philosophy to the methodology and content
of contemporary natural sciences. It will be read with profit and
great interest by all interested in medieval philosophy and its
significance for the modern world.
*Richard Cross, Rev. John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy,
University of Notre Dame, USA*
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