Transcript MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

MEDIEVAL TH
PHILOSOPHY
TH
TIME PERIOD: 8 -14 CENTURIES
3 STAGES: (1) 8-12TH CENT: PREPARATORY
PERIOD; (2) 13TH CENT: THE GREAT
SYNTHESES: BONAVENTURE, THOMAS
AQUINAS, DUNS SCOTUS; (3) 14TH CENT:
DECLINE/DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:
(1) SYNTHESIS OF FAITH & REASON (2)
PHILOSOPHY = THE HANDMAIDEN OF
THEOLOGY
(3) USE OF GREEK & ROMAN
PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS FOR
THEOLOGICAL PURPOSE
AUGUSTINE 354 – 430
INFLUENCIAL FIGURE FOR WESTERN
MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
INFLUENCED BY PLATO & PLOTINUS
NO CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN
PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY
FUNCTION OF REASON IN THE SEARCH
FOR WISDOM: A HELP TO PREPARE A MAN
FOR FAITH; NO PURELY NATURAL MAN;
MAN’S FINAL END = SUPERNATURAL END
PROTO MEDIEVAL EXISTENTIALIST
AUGUSTINE’S EPISTEMOLOGY
FOCUS: KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH THAT
BRINGS TRUE HAPPINESS/ BEATITUDE
BASIC QUESTION: HOW DOES THE FINITE,
CHANGING HUMAN MIND ATTAIN
CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF ETERNAL
TRUTHS WHICH RULE & GOVERN THE
MIND, AND SO TRANSCEND IT?
KNOWLEDGE OF ETERNAL TRUTH BRINGS
THE SOUL TO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND
HIS ACTIVITY
AUGUSTINE’S EPISTEMOLOGY
CONTRA ACADEMICOS: WISDOM PERTAINS
TO HAPPINESS, KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH
PERTAINS TO WISDOM; EVEN THE
SCEPTICS ARE CERTAIN OF SOME TRUTHS;
ONE WHO DOUBTS KNOWS THAT HE IS
DOUBTING  CERTAIN OF THIS TRUTH:
THE FACT THAT HE DOUBTS
A MAN IS AT LEAST CERTAIN OF HIS
EXISTENCE SI FALLOR, SUM – IF I CAN BE
DECEIVED THEN I EXIST – ANTICIPATES
DESCARTES
AUGUSTINE’S EPISTEMOLOGY
DE LIBERO ARBITRIO: MAN CERTAIN OF 3
THINGS: THAT HE EXISTS, THAT HE LIVES,
AND THAT HE UNDERSTANDS
CERTAINTY FOR WHAT WE KNOW BY
INNER EXPERIENCE, BY SELFCONSCIOUSNESS: RETURN WITHIN
OURSELVES WHERE TRUTH ABIDES, & USE
THE SOUL, THE IMAGE OF GOD, AS A
STEPPING-STONE TO HIM
AUGUSTINE’S PLATONISM WITH REGARD
TO KNOWLEDGE OF SENSE-OBJECTS
AUGUSTINE’S EPISTEMOLOGY
AUGUSTINE’S THEORY OF
ILLUMINISM – PLOTINIAN
INFLUENCE: AS THE SUNLIGHT
MAKES CORPOREAL THINGS VISIBLE
TO THE EYE, SO THE DIVINE
ILLUMINATION MAKES THE
ETERNAL TRUTHS VISIBLE TO THE
MIND
AUGUSTINE’S CONCEPT OF GOD
AUGUSTINE’S CENTRAL & FAVORITE
PROOF OF GOD’S EXISTENCE = A PROOF
FROM THOUGHT/WITHIN, THE MIND’S
APPREHENSION OF NECESSARY &
CHANGLESS TRUTHS. GOD IS “THE
TRUTH” = THE GROUND of all truths.
NOT SO MUCH CONCERNED TO PROVE TO
THE ATHEIST THAT GOD EXISTS AS TO
SHOW HOW ALL CREATION PROCLAIMS
THE GOD WHOM THE SOUL CAN
EXPERIENCE IN ITSELF, THE LIVING GOD
AUGUSTINE’S CONCEPT OF GOD
INTERESTED MORE IN THE DYNAMIC
ATTITUDE OF THE SOUL TOWARDS GOD,
NOT THE CONSTRUCTION OF
DIALECTICAL ARGUMENTS WITH A
PURELY THEORETICAL CONCLUSION
LINKING UP THE “PROOF” FOR THE
EXISTENCE OF GOD WITH THE SOUL’S
SEARCH FOR GOD AS THE SOURCE OF
HAPPINESS
HUMAN BEING AS THE IMAGE OF GOD;
THE WORLD OF ALL CREATURES
REFLECTS & MANIFESTS GOD
AUGUSTINE - THE WORLD
FREE CREATION OUT OF NOTHING
EMPHASIZING THE ESSENTIAL
DEPENDENCE OF ALL CREATURES ON GOD
& THE PERISHABLE NATURE OF ALL
CORPOREAL CREATURES
RATIONES SEMINALES: THE GERMS OF
THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE TO DEVELOP
IN THE COURSE OF TIME, POTENTIALITES
CREATED BY GOD
AUGUSTINE - THE WORLD
MAN = BODY & IMMORTAL SOUL =
THE PEAK OF MATERIAL CREATION;
RATIONAL SOUL USING A MORTAL &
EARTHLY BODY
THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL IS
EVIDENT FROM ITS CAPACITY TO
APPREHEND THE ETERNAL AND
CHANGELESS TRUTHS
AUGUSTINE’S ETHICS
EUDAIMONISTIC ETHICS: TRUE
HAPPINESS CAN BE FOUND ONLY IN GOD,
THE ATTAINMENT & POSSESSION OF THE
ETERNAL & IMMUTABLE GOOD
AN ETHICS OF LOVE: IT IS THE THE
WILL/LOVE THAT MAN REACHES OUT
TOWARD GOD AND FINALLY TAKES
POSSESSION OF & ENJOYS HIM
THE ATTAINMENT OF BEATITUDE IS NOT
POSSIBLE WITHOUT GOD’S GRACE
AUGUSTINE’S ETHICS
FREEDOM: NECESSARY BASIS OF
OBLIGATION; THE WILL IS FREE TO TURN
AWAY FROM THE IMMUTABLE GOOD AND
TO ATTACH ITSELF TO MUTABLE GOOD
BY TURNING AWAY FROM GOD THE WILL
RUNS COUNTER TO THE DIVINE LAW
WHICH IS EXPRESSED IN HUMAN NATURE
THE ETERNAL LAWS OF MORALITY ARE
IMPRESSED IN THE HEART OF MAN BY
GOD
AUGUSTINE’S ETHICS
JUST AS THE HUMAN MIND PERCEIVES
ETERNAL THEORETICAL TRUTHS IN THE
LIGHT OF GOD, SO IT PERCEIVES, IN THE
SAME LIGHT, PRACTICAL TRUTHS OR
PRINCIPLES WHICH SHOULD DIRECT THE
FREE WILL
THE WILL IS FREE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME
SUBJECT TO MORAL OBLIGATION, TO
LOVE GOD IS A DUTY
GRACE IN NEEDED EVEN TO BEGIN TO
WILL TO LOVE GOD
AUGUSTINE’S ETHICS
EVIL = TURNING THE WILL AWAY FROM
GOD; MORAL PERFECTION CONSISTS IN
LOVING GOD, DIRECTING THE WILL TO
GOD AND BRINGING ALL OTHER POWERS
INTO HARMONY WITH THIS DIRECTION
THE CAUSE OF EVIL: NOT THE CREATOR
BUT THE CREATED WILL
MORAL EVIL = A PRIVATION OF RIGHT
ORDER IN THE CREATED WILL
AUGUSTINE’S ETHICS
IF MORALITY IS LOVE OF GOD AND THE
ESSENCE OF EVIL IS A FALLING-AWAY
FROM GOD 2 GREAT CAMPS: THOSE
WHO LOVE GOD & PREFER GOD TO SELF
AND THOSE WHO PREFER SELF TO GOD
AUGUSTINE LOOKED ON HISTORY FROM
THE CHRISTIAN STANDPOINT AND THAT
HIS OUTLOOK WAS PRIMARILY SPIRITUAL
AND MORAL.
AUGUSTINE AND THE STATE
HE SAW IN HISTORY AS HE SAW IN THE
INDIVIDUAL, THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN 2
PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCT, 2 LOVES: LOVE
OF GOD & SUBMISSION TO HIS LAW AND
LOVE OF SELF, OF PLEASURE AND OF THE
WOLRD
THE HEAVENLY CITY (CIVITAS DEI) VS THE
PAGAN STATE (CIVITAS TERRENA);
THEYARE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL IDEAS,
NOT EXACTLY COTERMINUS WITH ANY
ACTUAL ORGANISATION
SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUSTINE
HE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR
MEDIEVAL THINKING, ADAPTED
PLATONISM TO CHRISTIAN FAITH,
GAVE SYSTEMATIC FORMULATION
OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY
HIS SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF
WESTERN CIVILIZATION
SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUSTINE
HIS PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY EXERTED
AN IFLUENCE NOT ONLY ON RELIGIOUS
MOVEMENTS BUT ON SECULAR
PHILOSOPHERS
SINCE THE TIME OF AUGUSTINE, THE SELF
IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO GOD BECOMES
THE SUPREME PROBLEM OF PHILOSOPHY
WE APPRECIATE HIM NOT ONLY BECAUSE
OF THE ANSWERS HE GAVE BUT BECAUSE
OF THE DEEP QUESTIONS HE RAISED