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The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Philosophy provides an introduction to a complex period of change in the subject matter and practice of philosophy. The philosophy of the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries is often seen as transitional between the scholastic philosophy of the Middle Ages and modern philosophy, but the essays collected here, by a distinguished international team of contributors, call these assumptions into question, emphasizing both the continuity with scholastic philosophy and the role of Renaissance philosophy in the emergence of modernity. They explore the ways in which the science, religion and politics of the period reflect and are reflected in its philosophical life, and they emphasize the dynamism and pluralism of a period which saw both new perspectives and enduring contributions to the history of philosophy. This will be an invaluable guide for students of philosophy, intellectual historians, and all who are interested in Renaissance thought. ... Read more

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This book presents in translation writings by six medieval philosophers which bear on the subject of conscience. Conscience, which can be considered both as a topic in the philosophy of mind and a topic in ethics, has been unduly neglected in modern philosophy, where a prevailing belief in the autonomy of ethics leaves it no natural place. It was, however, a standard subject for a treatise in medieval philosophy. Three introductory translations here, from Jerome, Augustine and Peter Lombard, present the loci classici on which subsequent discussions drew; there follows the first complete treatise on conscience, by Philip the Chancellor, while the two remaining translations, from Bonaventure and Aquinas, have been chosen as outstanding examples of the two main approaches which crystallised during the thirteenth century. ... Read more

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Philosophy in the Islamic world emerged in the ninth century and continued to flourish into the fourteenth century. It was strongly influenced by Greek thought, but Islamic philosophers also developed an original philosophical culture of their own, which had a considerable impact on the subsequent course of Western philosophy. This volume offers new translations of philosophical writings by Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ghazali, Ibn Tufayl, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). All of the texts presented here were very influential and invite comparison with later works in the Western tradition. They focus on metaphysics and epistemology but also contribute to broader debates concerning the conception of God, the nature of religion, the place of humanity in the universe, and the limits of human reason. A historical and philosophical introduction sets the writings in context and traces their preoccupations and their achievement. ... Read more

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This volume examines the changing perceptions of time in the transition from the medieval debate to early modern philosophy. Some of the foremost contemporary experts try to weave the various strands of the topic into a methodological and doctrinal whole. The book consists of 21 studies (19 in English, 2 in French) subdivided into five main sections, entitled respectively "The Late Antique Legacy", "The Scholastic Debate", "Late Scholasticism", "Time and Medicine", "Early Modern Philosophy". Themes discussed include the reception of Aristotle's doctrine of time, the Augustinian and Neoplatonic heritage, the concepts of divine eternity and angelic duration, and the particular role attributed to time in medieval and early modern medicine. This collection of studies aims at offering a comprehensive historico-doctrinal analysis of one of the most fascinating topics in western intellectual history. ... Read more

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Esteemed for providing the best available translations, Philosophic Classics: Ancient Philosophy, features complete works or complete sections of the most important works by the major thinkers, as well as shorter samples from transitional thinkers.

First published in 1961, Forrest E. Baird's revision of Philosophic Classics, Pearson Education's long-standing anthology (available in split volumes), continues the tradition of providing generations of students with high quality course material. Using the complete works, or where appropriate, complete sections of works, this anthology allows philosophers to speak directly to students.  

For more information on the main combined anthology, or the additional period volumes, please see below:

Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida, 6/E  ISBN-10: 0205783864

Philosophic Classics, Volume I: Ancient Philosophy, 6/E  ISBN-10: 0205783856

Philosophic Classics, Volume III: Modern Philosophy, 6/E  ISBN-10: 0205783899

Customer Reviews (8)

satisfied customer
I got this for a class in college.It came in time, and was in really good condition.It sure beats paying full price at the college bookstore!

philosophical classics,volume 3, modern philosophy, 5th edition
I received this book in a week and was very satisified with the condition the book was in. I would order from this seller again!

The anthology I use to teach 17th and 18th Century philosophy
I don't usually like anthologies and rarely teach from them -- I tend to prefer a primary text approach, partly because it allows students to see the development of ideas in their full context and because I expect philosophy students to be interested in developing their personal library of philosophy.This volume, however, is an exception and I've been using this volume for several years (and three separate editions) to teach my "History of Philosophy: 17th and 18th Century."Since I try to cover quite a bit in the course (empiricism, rationalism, social contract theory, transcendental philosophy -- in the works of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Pascal, Berkeley, Hume, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Kant), but don't have the time to read everything by every thinker, this volume is almost perfect.It has almost everything I cover and includes both good brief introductions and fairly broad excerpts from each thinker.There is enough, at least, to illustrate the general approach and broad themes and key issues from most every thinker it includes.I've looked at a few other anthologies of Modern philosophy and they are usually either too specific (e.g. focused on 17th but not 18th century philosophy) or too broad and narrow in their coverage.This one is just right, and would be an excellent volume to get for an orientation to the basic problems of modern philosophy that sets the stage for both 19th Century continental thinkers like Hegel and Schopenhauer and Marx and Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, as well as for 20th century developments in both analytic (that picks up from Hume and to a lesser degree Kant and largely bypasses the German Idealist movement) as well as continental philosophy (in Heidegger, Sartre, etc.).

One quibble: I do wish there was more from Rousseau -- the latest volume has excerpts from the Social Contract and while that may be his most historically important work it doesn't show as clearly as some of his other works his distinctive approach to thinking -- that does not fall clearly under a rationalist or empiricist label.To give a better flavor of Rousseau I supplement this volume with Hackett's translation of the Second Discourse (On the Origins of Inequality).

Comprehensive for philosophy classes
This is a good and comprehensive book if you are taking any 17th and 18th century philosophy courses. There are helpful intorductions beore each philosopher which give a bit of background on them as well as briefly summarize their main theories.

Ancient Philosophy: Philosophic Classics Volume I
Excellent book! Great coverage of the Sophists, Milisians, Pre-Socratics, Socratics and Romans.

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The book describes a fascinating encounter between astrology and magic, exposing how Hermetic magic seeped into Jewish literature and Jewish philosophy. Following astral magic in its convoluted course, this original work sheds new light on rationalist Jewish thought in the Middle Ages. Having attained its authority mostly from its use in medical practice, astral magic also developed a theology and provided a key to biblical interpretation. Judah Halevi, Nahmanides, and others explained the meaning and influence of the commandments according to magic-astral models and techniques, generating a new perspective within medieval Jewish philosophy. The book is intended for scholars of philosophy, Jewish thought, astrology and magic, as well as for the general public with an interest in these areas. ... Read more

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This volume contains eleven articles and book chapters by John Wippel that have appeared since the publication of his Metaphysical Themes in Thomas Aquinas in 1984. Many of them have also been published since the completion of his The Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas: From Finite Being to Uncreated Being in 2000. It is intended to serve as a complement to but not as a substitute for those volumes.

The essays considered in this volume range widely over many different topics such as the possibility of a Christian philosophy from a Thomistic perspective, the Latin Avicenna as a source for Aquinas's metaphysics, truth in Thomas Aquinas (including truth in the intellect and truth of being), and Platonism and Aristotelianism in Aquinas's metaphysics. Several of them consider certain important axioms or adages used by Aquinas in developing his metaphysical thought, and still another investigates Aquinas's intention in writing his Commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics. Others examine Aquinas's views on whether created agents can cause esse, whether divine omnipotence can be demonstrated philosophically, and whether Aquinas has successfully shown on philosophical grounds that God is free to create or whether because of his goodness he had to create. All of them are concerned in one way or another with important aspects of Aquinas's metaphysics.

Wippel bases his interpretations on a close reading of Aquinas's texts, taking into account certain difficulties that arise from some of those texts, along with other current and sometimes quite divergent readings. While Wippel argues for a strong Platonic-Neoplatonic influence on Aquinas's metaphysics along with the widely recognized influence of Aristotle, he concludes that Aquinas's metaphysics cannot be reduced to any of these earlier sources but is a truly original production by Thomas himself. ... Read more

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Sir Anthony Kenny continues his magisterial new history of Western philosophy with a fascinating guide through more than a millennium of thought from 400 AD onwards, charting the story of philosophy from the founders of Christian and Islamic thought through to the Renaissance.The middle ages saw a great flourishing of philosophy, and the intellectual endeavour of the era reaches its climax in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with the systems of the great schoolmen such as Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus. Specially written for a broad popular readership, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good Introduction to Medieval Philosophy
Just like the first volume I've enjoyed reading this work on Medieval Philosophy. For a casual student of philosophy this is probably
as light an introduction as can be imagined. Anything less and it would miss out on a lot of important details. But
it's a good book to start your studies in philosophy and follow up with something a bit more in-depth.

Great overall reference!
I took classes in philosophy for years and I have to say that I was very surprised with this book. Kenny has a great knack for rephrasing the arguments of the Schoolmen in modern philosophical vocabulary without loss of substance. You'll be shocked by how relevant medieval philosophy really is; I'm a little angry undergrad students aren't made more aware of this material. This book accomplishes what every history aspires to: you close the book feel well-informed and freshly energized about the craft of philosophy.

The only minor downsides to the book are stylistic. A few strangely-worded cultural references make you feel like you're listening to 'Old Man Kenny' on occasion. More seriously, there are some instances where it's a little hard to follow the narrative voice, leaving you unsure at first where critical exposition ends and judgment begins. Thankfully, though, these defects are minimal in number and effect. Anyone with a moderate interest in philosophy will find this a worthwhile purchase.

A Good Resource
A good introductory survey of philosophical topics as they were treated by various medieval thinkers throughout the entire period, from late antiquity and the commentators of Aristotle, to the inception of the humanists. The survey combines what is properly called intellectual history and philosophy proper. The historical aspect is kept to a minimum (as it ought to be in a philosophy book) without sacrificing salient features of the historical context in which the topic under discussion occurred. The philosophy, on the other hand, is more developed and Kenny has an emphasis on concept explanation, as opposed to explicating arguments; though he does do both at times.

This includes the following topics: God, Mind and Soul, Logic and Language, Knowledge, Physics, Metaphysics, Ethics, as well as an excellent treatment of philosophy and religious belief from Augustine to Maimonides,and scholasticism from the twelfth century renaissance (Abelard and the 'nominales' school) to the so-called renaissance proper (roughly 1360-1550), at which point scholasticism began to give way to the new schoolman, the humanists.

Kenny is especially good at explaining the intellectual current of a given period and how such a current has bearing on the topic at hand, this is particularly seen in his discussion of physics. As such, the historical context of each topic and its subsequent development is presented thoroughly but briefly; however, little attention is given to the explication of any particular thinker's arguments on any given topics. For that reason, you will find little critical analysis of the particular arguments presented.

All in all it's an excellent work, written clearly and informatively, by a very capable philosopher. It's a good introduction for undergraduates at the freshman and sophomore level. But if you've had more than a survey course in medieval philosophy, you need something with a bit more depth.

A Pleasure
The book expounds the main ideas of the medieval thinkers with great clarity and a pleasing lightness of touch. The book is not only a pleasure to read but to hold and look at. Author and publisher have both done an excellent job. ... Read more

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Central topics in medieval logic are here treated in a way thatis congenial to the modern reader, without compromising historicalreliability. The achievements of medieval logic are made available toa wider philosophical public then the medievalists themselves. Thethree genres of logica moderna arising in a later Middle Agesare covered: obligations, insolubles and consequences - thefirst time these have been treated in such a unified way. The articleson obligations look at the role of logical consistence in medievaldisputation techniques. Those on insolubles concentrate on medievalsolutions to the Liar Paradox. There is also a systematic account ofhow medieval authors described the logical content of an inference,and how they thought that the validity of an inference could beguaranteed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good history.
This is a fine summary of medieval philosophy. From Augustine through Suarez, it covers all of the important philosophers and philosopher/theologians from the medieval period. Boethius, Anselm, Abelard, Averroes, Maimonides, Bacon, Bonaventure, Albert the Great, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham, Eckhart and others are all covered in detail. I found it a relatively easy and interesting read. ... Read more

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Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

As always, excellent
One could almost say that volume 2 was a buildup to volume 3.In volume 2 Scholasticism and Neoplatonism was forged from Greek philosophy in order to create a Christian worldview.While there were changes made, like Aquinas modifying some of the conjectures of Aristotle and Augustine doing the same of Platonism, there was no real direct attack on these two thinkers.Aristotle's philosophy was almost synonymous with philosophy instead of a subset of philosophy.

Here some of the doors are burst wide open, lead mostly by William of Ockham.Here he tears apart much of Aquinas's proofs for the existence of God, attacked many of the traditional ideas concerning universals, and paved the way to the emphasis on empirical study.Whether one agrees or not with the man, his thought was a much needed critique of established wisdom that too often degraded to spurious conjecture.

There is some modified Scholasticism in the book by Suarez, who extends much of what Aquinas wrote, ans well as political philosophy developedmuch in part by the tension between Papal power and the powers of the State.Indeed, there is much here that paved the way for a new form of republic to emerge, as many of the philosophers states(rightly in my opinion), that political power was derived by God through the people, and a tyrant has no right of Authority.

Like always, Copleston treats everyone fairly, and most certainly seems to have done his research given the depth of knowledge and a staggering bibliography.If you have time to tackle Copleston, you'll be rewarded for doing so.

Very useful tool in any serious study od philosophy
Despite a lack in deep understanding of the subject itself, the work of Mr Copleston is a big contribution to the realm of philosophy. In his book we may always find detail historical facts often missing under similar titles in the books of other authors, however more prominent in their speculative backgrounds. Very interesting, particularly in this volume nr.3, which comprises the period of scholastic, is his own, less historical, views and standpoints toward the philosophy. If not a real philosophical deed, this book is indeed a challenge to every philosopher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Book of an Important Age of Reason and Faith (Ratio et Fides
Jospef Pieper wrote a concise book on the Age of Scholasticism which clearly explained the thinking and the achievements of those Catholic scholars who were part of the Scholastic Era. Peiper also gave the Moslem and Jewish scholars due respect as did many of the Scholastics including St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274).

Peiper started this book with an approximate date for the origins of Medieval Philosophy and Theology. Peiper used the date of 529 AD when the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527-565) closed the Plato Academy because it was Pagan. In 529, Theodoric (471-526)ruled a section of the Latin Roman West and ruled from the city of Rome. One of Theodoric's major political advisers was Boethius (480-525) who was Roman whereas Theodoric was Gothic. Theodoric was well aware of Roman and Greek Civilization which he appreciated even though he was Gothic. Theodoric did not have Romans in charge of his armies, and he did nothave Goths in government positions. Boethius was Roman and rose to a position of privledge abd consider power and wealth until he was accused of treason and sentenced to death.

Peiper made a good case that Boethius' work was a connection between Classical Ancient Civilization and the origins of Scholasticism. Some historians chose St. Augustine (354-430) as the precursor of Scholasticism. Peiper disagreed. St. Augustine live in the mileau of the Roman Empire albeit a disintengrating Roman Empire. St. Augustine lived when educated men knew of Lucretius (99-55 BC), Seneca (4-65 AD), Plato (c.427-347 BC), Aristotle (384-322 BC), etc... Boethius, who was knowledgable of the work of these men lived in an age which Ancient Classical learning was in retreat. Boethius' work was written under different historical circumstances than St. Augustine. Beothius wrote his work titled THE CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY while awaiting execution and after having lost everything. His CONSOLATION is bascially a work of a desparate man who has nothing left but contemplation of the Great Unknown. He wrote this work to inform men that the Ultimate Being (or possibly God)was much more than wealth and privledge and in an imaginary diologue with Lady Philsophyin which such problems as good, evil,and ultimate destiny are discussed. According to Peiper THE CONSOLATION helped redefine philosophy for both the Romans, Greeks, and the new conquerors.

One theme that Peiper made is that while Boethius' CONSOLATION is a serious work re philosophy and theology, there are no biblical quotes. As Peiper noted THE CONSOLATION is bascially a work of logic an analysis which was fundamental to Scholastic Philosophy and Theology. This is not to say that the later Scholastic philosophers and theologians did not cite the Bible which they indeed did.

One of the disagreements later scholastics debated was the status of The Pseudo Dionysisus. Dionysisus is mentioned in the Bible (Acts 17: 34), and later Scholastics accepted writtenwork that was attributed to him. Yet, careful investigation revealed that the work was written by someone else c. 500 AD. Some Scholastics rejected the work of the Pseudo Dionysius while others accepted it. St. Thomas Aquinas accepted this work and did not care about the original authorship.

Peiper hadinteresting sections on St.Anselm (1033-1109), Peter Lombard (1100-1160), Peter Abelard (1079-1142), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), etc. Many Medieval histotrians have titled St. Anselem as The Father of Scholasticism. Readers may think this title contradicts Peiper's treatment of Boethius. However, Boethius was a "bridge" between Ancient Greek/Roman learning while St. Anselm began to symtematize Green and Roman learning to somehow make the Catholic Faith reasonable and sensible. St. Anselm well knew that the Faith needed a reasonable defense if it were to make sense. Even though St. Anselm may have been a mystic, he wasaware that the Faith without some logical explanation could be superstition. Peiper was clear that some historians have misinterpreted Peter Abeland who wrote a text titled SIC ET NON (YES AND NO). As this reviewer noted in another review, this text was deisgned to make students think about apparent contradictions in the Bible, the decisions of the Church Fathers,etc. Abelard did not write this work to embarrass the Church or the Faith. Abelard had trouble because he speculated too much on the Trinity. St. Bernard of Clairvaux chided Abelard for Abelard's speculation on the Holy Trinity because St. Benard argued that such speculation would eventually trivialize the Trinity. Peter Lombard's massive work titled THE FOUR BOOKS OF SENTENCES is considered by some scholars as an attempt to explain the above mention contradictions.

Peiper's later sections dealing with St. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280)and St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)are clearly written and well done. Peiper stated that St. Albert helped to improve scientific study by careful observation and experimentation. St. Albert easily disproved many of Aristotle's conclusions by actual scientific invesigation. For example, men thought that eels ate mud, but St. Albert ovserved that eels eat plant life and dead fish. Both St. Albert and St. Thomas Aquinas wanted to reconcile Fides and Ration (Faith and Reason).As important as St. Aquinas' works titled SUMMAS THEOLOGICA and SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES were, Peiper stated that Aquinas' titled QUAESTIONES DISPUTATAE(DISPUTED QUESTIONS) may be more important. These were debates involving St. Thomas and his students whereby St. Thomas said any issue "under the sun" was open for debate. The debates were not to decide "winners and losers" but to determine the truth of the disputed question. St. Thomas and his students knew very well that they could solve all questions and know all that could be learned. But they also knew that men could learn more even by correcting errors. Yet, the condemnation of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1277 may have started the end of the Age of Scholasticism. Religion and science were suppoesdly considered separate, and that debate continues with unreasonable fanatics on both sides of the debate.

The last section of the book dealt with relevance of Scholasticism. Peiper argued that in an age that is so politicized and corrputed by agendas and childish political correctness, that men and woman who want bona fide teaching and learning could should create institutions similar to the monks, nuns, and friars (monastaris, convents, religious houses)to escape the childish distractions.

Joseph Peiper's book is historically sound and is well written. The book is easily accessible to beginning students and is useful for those more informed. If readers have knowledge re Scholasticism, the historical anecdotes are instructive. This is a solid book.

James E. Egolf

March 27, 2010

Useful background to medieval philosophy
Written prior to the recent interest in medieval studies, this book still gives a fine introduction to the era, and explains the significance not only of the great Scholastics, but also of lesser known figures likeCassiodorus, Pseudo-Dionysius, John of Salisbury, and Siger of Brabant. Both the fundamental problematic of the Scholastic--to unite thedeliverances of faith and reason, in accordance with the motto "Credout intelligam"--and the attempts of different philosophers to carryout this project are detailed and explained clearly and in simple language. This book does not, however, discuss philosophical problems in any detail,and can only serve as a general introduction.Still, its brevity, clarity,and self-contained approach make it a good starting place for thephilosopher interested in this topic. ... Read more

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Medieval Philosophy is devoted to the period known as the Middle Ages. It considers the rich traditions of Arab, Jewish and Latin philosophy, which began to flourish in the ninth century and continued, in the Latin West, until the early seventeenth century.The volume begins with Boethius, the late antiquity thinker who was enormously influential in the medieval Latin West, and covers a spectrum including Avicenna, Averroes, Maimonides, Abelard, Aquinas, Aureoli, all the way to medieval logic and the cultural context of medieval philosophy in both Islam and the Christian West. Medieval Philosophy offers fresh perspectives on a complex and rapidly changing area of research, in which Arab and Jewish Philosophy are considered in their own right, rather than, as sources for Latin thinkers, and where the different traditions in medieval philosophy are clearly explained. ... Read more

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Medieval Jewish intellectuals living in Muslim and Christian lands were strongly concerned to recover what they regarded as a 'lost' Jewish philosophical tradition. As part of this project they transmitted and produced many philosophical and scientific works and commentaries, as well as philosophical commentary on scripture, in Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew, the principal literary languages of medieval Jewry. This volume presents new or revised translations of seven prominent medieval Jewish rationalists: Saadia Gaon, Solomon ibn Gabirol, Moses Maimonides, Isaac Albalag, Moses of Narbonne, Levi Gersonides, Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo - including, for the first time in English, the complete Falaquera abridgement of Gabirol's Source of Life.These works range over topics that are both theological (e.g. the creation of the world) and philosophical (e.g. determinism and free choice), but they are characterized by two overarching principles: the unity of truth, and its accessibility to human reason. ... Read more

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In this fast-paced, enlightening guide, Sharon M. Kaye takes us on a whistle-stop tour of medieval philosophy, revealing the debt it owes to Aristotle and Plato, and its legacy to philosophy today. With new translations of key extracts, Kaye directly introduces the reader to the philosophers' writings and to the criticisms levied against them. Including helpful textboxes throughout the book, this is an entertaining and comprehensive primer for students and general readers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

No, really, it's not bad.
Pace another reviewer, I think that this is a good book.

It is written clearly and well. Kaye presupposes no philosophical knowledge in her reader, so takes the trouble to introduce key concepts. E.g. in the first chapter she introduces deductive logic by defining validity and soundness, and identifies common deductively valid argument-forms. Elsewhere she identifies common informal fallacies. The first chapter also touches on empiricism and rationalism (which Kaye calls 'innatism'); the rest of the book portrays medieval philosophy as playing out the conflict of these epistemologies.

The book is arranged topically, with each chapter introducing and developing a concern of medieval philosophy. This arrangement is, I think, well suited to an introductory text. A lot of ground is covered; however, a review of medieval philosophy that did not touch upon everything here would be incomplete.

There are a few problems.

Kaye's approach to the beginning of the Middle Ages is idiosyncratic. She regards the period as beginning c.400, so includes Augustine and Boethius as medieval philosophers. Most other writers place the start of the period much later (e.g. Copleston gives a date of c.800). Chopping up history into periods is pretty arbitrary, so it would be difficult to argue that Kaye is simply wrong. However the reader should be aware of this.

There is a problem with Kaye's logic. She regards analogy as a deductively valid argument-form, and uses it to reconstruct some arguments from primary texts. She schematizes it thus:

A is to B as C is to D;
A is P with respect to B;
So C is P with respect to D.

But this is not deductively valid. Consider:

Romulus is to Remus as James is to John;
Romulus is the murderer of Remus;
So James is the murderer of John.

The problem here is not that analogy is not deductively valid; rather, it is not deductive at all. Analogical inferences are inductive. Kaye's presentation of medieval arguments using analogy is worthwhile; however the reader should not be led to suppose that analogy belongs to the same class of argument-forms as modus ponens or hypothetical syllogism.

A final gripe: Kaye uncritically refers to the arguments for the existence of God as 'proofs'. This begs the question: whether they prove anything is what is at issue.

All that said, this is a worthwhile book, and a good point of departure for the subject. Worth considering if you're a beginning student of theology or philosophy of religion.

Shoddy and Erroneous
Sharon Kaye makes attempts to condense Medieval Philosophy into less than 200 pages. Obviously, any such survey is necessarily cursory at best. The difficulty is that the work is simply not very good. It over-simplifies the arguments of the philosophers contained therein and, at times, makes blatant errors. For a work aimed at beginners, this is simply unacceptable. Further, we get the now obligatory feminist diatribe at the postscript.

Both too much and too little is included in the book. The first chapter is the longest and deals with ancient philosophy only! Obviously, such a discussion should be given in another book. Eight chapters in 164 pages is simply too much and the chapters are themed by subject, not thinker. In the chapter on Universals, we move from Abelard, to Scotus, to Ockham. A moderate realist (such as Aquinas) is totally omitted! Such a glaring oversight cannot be ignored by the instructor.

Furthermore, as was mentioned above, some of the facts advanced are erroneous. One example of this is a reference to St. Augustine's "Confessions". The incident of the destruction of pears and a subsequent reflection on evil is related in an adumbrated form, but the author states that "As Augustine reflects on the sheer irrationality of this act, he develops his conception of the nature of evil. True evil is done for its own sake"(50). This summary is simply incorrect. Augustine muses on the nature of this evil and determines that we never will evil as evil but we will lesser goods in place of higher goods. The deliberate choosing of these lesser goods is what is evil. Granted, this conclusion comes several pages later and Augustine muses over various possibilities, but the conclusion that the author gives is NOT the conclusion of Augustine. This error is an example of lamentable academics.

In conclusion, then, Kaye's book is a poor text. It is a beginners text littered with errors and omissions. As such, it is more likely to confuse than to teach, and therefore it should be avoided as a text for students. The text is also too simple for graduate students, so it is difficult to know what good such a book is for anyone. My advice is not to waste your own (or your students') money on this book. Copleston's two volumes on Medieval philosophyHistory of Philosophy, Volume 2 and History of Philosophy Volume 3 are extremely thorough, and they concentrate on individual thinkers. He also wrote a more general text entitled A History of Medieval PhilosophyA History Of Medieval Philosophy, and it is also pretty good. Etienne Gilson, though problematic has a decent work entitled "The Spirit of medieval philosophy" The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy.
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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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The most comprehensive collection of its kind, this unique anthology presents fifty-four readings--many of them not widely available--by the most important and influential Christian, Jewish, and Muslim philosophers of the Middle Ages. The text is organized topically, making it easily accessible to students, and the large selection of readings provides instructors with maximum flexibility in choosing course material.
Each thematic section is comprised of six chronologically arranged readings. This organization focuses on the major philosophical issues and allows a smooth introduction to the material. The topics covered are: (1) The Existence of God, (2) Ethics and the Problem of Evil, (3) God's Foreknowledge and Free Will, (4) Theology, (5) Political Philosophy, (6) Knowledge and Sensation, (7) Universals, (8) Logic and the Philosophy of Language and (9) Physics. Each text is preceded by a biographical note on the author and a brief analytical introduction. Unlike other anthologies, which present sources as a series of truncated excerpts, this collection avoids intrusive editing and includes many selections in their entirety, thus preserving the rich flavor of the medieval mind at work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Most Comprehensive Collection of Its Kind
This text is literally the most comprehensive Medieval Philosophy Text I have in my personal library. Schoedinger has put together a one of kind text which includes such Medieval philosophers as William of Auvergne, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Levi ben Gerson, John of Paris, Matthew of Aquasparta, John of Salisbury, and so many more which are normally not included in the 'typical' collection of medieval compilations. Thus, this text not only covers the major philosophers (Augustine, Aquinas, Ockham, Scotus, Averroes, etc), but perhaps the lesser known scholars as well.

What is more, the topics included are quite exhaustive. Topics such as the existence of God, ethics and the problem of evil, God's foreknowledge and freewill, theology, political philosophy, knowledge and sensation, universals, logic, philosophy of language, and physics, are all included. So, as you can see all the bases, more or less, are covered from this particular period. Moreover, if you are into the study of metaphysics, you certainly should not ignore the writers/philosophers of the medieval period. If you did, you would not be quite as well rounded in your study of metaphysics. Therefore, here is an all-in-one text which exhaustively covers this particular time period and their writings.

Additional features, which add such nice dimensions to the text, include, introductions to each philosophers (historical background, setting in which they wrote, etc.), excellent footnotes and bibliography for one to branch out into other sources of study, and certain drawings and illustrations used in various places. What more can I say except that this is one of my more favorite general philosophical reference texts in my library. I highly recommend it - get it before it goes out of print! ... Read more