Topic: Medieval Epistemology

The medieval period is by far the longest one in the history of
philosophy, and profoundly influenced everything that came
afterwards.  This semester we will be focusing on a cluster of views,
themes, and controversies in what can broadly be called "medieval
epistemology."  Throughout the semester, we will be looking back to
the origins of some of these views in ancient philoosphy, as well as
forward to the effect some of these views and controversies had on
later philosophy.

Some of the people and topics we will be discussing include:

Justin Martyr, from his Dialogue with Trypho - on the relation
between philosophy and religion as sources of knowledge.

Augustine, from his Against the Academicians, On the Teacher, On Free
Choice of the Will, Confessions (Book X), On the Trinity, etc - on
his response to Academic skepticism, the "Vital attention" theory of
perception (peculiar and fun!), his theory of "teaching" (Augustine's
response to Plato's Meno), and his tremendously important theory
of "illumination."

The rise of "dialectic" in the twelfth century.

The Aristotellian theory of the "intellect" in the De anima, and the
influence of late Greek and Islamic attempts to interpret it -
Themistius, Alexander of Aphrodisias, Alfarabi, Avicenna, Averroes,
etc.  These authors shaped medieval epistemology in the thirteenth
century, in people like Aquinas.

The later theory history (and sadly, the abandonment) of the theory
of illumination - Bonaventure, Henry of Ghent, Duns Scotus.

The theory of "intuitive" and "abstractive" cognition - Peter Auriol,
Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, Walter Chatton.

Nicholas of Autrecourt (the "medieval Hume") and the rejection of
Aristotelianism in the fourteenth century.

Our study will be liberally laced with droll stories and other gossip
from the Middle Ages.

As a required text to buy, I am listing only a single item:
Agustine, Against the Academicians/ The Teacher.  (Hackett, 1955)
But there will be several other readings too, which I will make
available one way or another.

Requirements include a series of weekly quizzes (on purely "factual"
matters of terminology, names, key concepts), two written
examinations (a mid-term and a final), and a substantial term paper.

The class will serve as the required "proseminar" for first-year
graduate students in the Department of Philosophy.  But it will also
be open to other graduate students.  For its "proseminar' function,
I'll think up some special things to do separately with the first-
year graduate studenets in Philosophy.  Stay tuned.

No special prior knowledge of the Middle Ages will be presupposed,
although of course it won't hurt if you have some!  All the readings
will be in English, as will the lectures, I hasten to add!

This course will expand your mind and raise your consciousness to
previously unheard of levels.  It will cure rheumatism and snakebite,
fight crabgrass, and help make the blind to see and the lame to walk
(but not, alas, cause the dead to rise again - that's a more advanced
course).