An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy: Basic Concepts

The centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the dawn of the Renaissance were times of extraordinarily rich intellectual ferment. During this period Christian philosophers and theologians struggled with transcendent questions in philosophy and religion by engaging in debates that advanced long disputed questions. In the process they set the stage for the world of modern thought by their transformation of ideas from antiquity. Reflecting religion's profound influences on Europe during the Middle Ages, An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy provides a rich overview of philosophy in the world of Latin Christianity.

Arranged thematically around ideas that persistently fascinated medieval philosophers, the text explores in depth such fundamental concepts as Faith and Reason, God, the Divine Ideas, Universals, Transcendentals, Cosmos and Nature, and the Soul. The resolution of theological questions invariably required the careful precision of philosophical distinctions. This book analyzes the ways in which some of the greatest medieval thinkers contributed to the discussion of each of these topics—from Augustine of Hippo and Boethius to Aquinas, Scotus, and William of Ockham. Lucid and insightful, An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy offers an illuminating window into the minds of the medieval philosophers who bridged the ancient and modern worlds and developed ideas that have shaped the course of Western thought.