Reviews (3)

An excellent work
St. Thomas Aquinas was not a man short of words.The depth of his thinking, and the sheer volume of his texts, makes his thinking both profound and difficult.But most of all, the aspiring student of Thomas' work may be afraid to face the daunting task of diving into the vast ocean of Thomas' words. Not for "nonspecialists"
The cover states the book is for "students and nonspecialist", which I found to be not true. The best example was in the chapter Metaphysics, if you do not already understand the concepts and especiallyAquinas` arguements before reading the book you will definitly notunderstand them after reading the book.I felt the book confuses much morethan enlightens.

Thorough, Precise, and Informative
As always, Norman Kretzmann and Eleonore Stump deliver another masterful work together. Each of these writers are experts in their philosophical field of Medieval Metaphysics and philosophy. For anyone interested in gaining a better grasp of one of the greatest philosophers in the historyof philosophy, this volume will certainly help. Kretzmann and Stump haveedited this volume and included some of the preeminent Thomisticphilosophers of the last 40 years. Chapters cover Aquinas' thoughts onethics, metaphysics, Aristotle and Aquinas, Aquinas' theory of knowledge,law and politics and theological issues. Thus, the essentials of Aquinasare here in one volume. Moreover,this is an excellent work for those whowould like to dig deeper and gain a more throrough understanding ofAquinas, or for those who would like to simply be "peepingThomists" and get a small glimpse of what Aquinas espoused. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1225?-1274    2. Aquinas, Saint,    3. Christianity - Theology - Catholic    4. History & Surveys - General    5. History & Surveys - Medieval    6. Philosophy    7. Thomas,    8. Christian theology    9. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    10. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    11. Thomas    12. Thomas,--Aquinas, Saint,--1225?-1274   

Subjects:  1. Christianity - History - Catholic    2. History    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. Philosophers    5. Philosophy    6. Religion    7. Biography: historical    8. British & Irish history: c 1000 to c 1500    9. England    10. History of ideas, intellectual history    11. History of religion    12. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    13. Religion / History    14. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Reviews (2)

Thought and faith interwined or intangled...
This book, 'The Medieval Mind', is the second volume of a five-volume series on the history of Western Philosophy by W.T. Jones, professor of philosophy in California.This series is a very strong, thorough introduction to the course of Western Philosophy, beginning at the dawn of the philosophical enterprise with the pre-Socratics in ancient Greece to the modern thinkers such as Wittgenstein and Sartre.It has grown, over the three decades or so of its publication, from one to four then to five volumes.It has remained a popular text, and could serve as the basis of a one-year survey of philosophy for undergraduates or a one-semester survey for graduate students.Even advanced students in philosophy will find this valuable, all major topics and most minor topics in the course of philosophy are covered in these volumes. A Clue Into How We Got Into This Mess
Recent knotty questions regarding knowledge and certainty prompted me to dust off my copy of Jones' book and revisit pages not looked at since university days in Hawaii. It was a pleasure to find again the importantissues and questions seriously considered: is there a God? Does evil exist?What are the limits of free will? What is "salvation?" Who issupreme, the individual or the state? What constitutes a valid ethicalsystem and from what authority might it be derived? What is the properbalance between faith and reason? What is the preferred political system?What is thenature and future of man?Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. Medieval    5. Philosophy    6. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present    7. Philosophy / General    8. Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600   

Subjects:  1. Eastern - General    2. General    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. Islam - History    5. Philosophy    6. Philosophy, Islamic    7. Philosophy, Medieval    8. Islam    9. Oriental & Indian philosophy    10. Philosophy / General   

Subjects:  1. 70-1789    2. Civilization    3. Directories    4. Encyclopedias    5. General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History Of Jews    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Judaism    12. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    13. Medieval and early modern period, 425-1789    14. Reference    15. Jewish studies    16. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    17. Reference / Encyclopedias    18. Reference works    19. World history: c 500 to C 1500    20. c 1000 CE to c 1500    21. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Reviews (18)

truly consoling
I don't read a lot of philosophy texts, but I read this one after my father died and was surprised to find it very meaningful and truly consoling.

A Literary and Philosophical Masterpiece
Boethius, in his "Consolation" written in prison shortly before his death, turns to the pre-Christian philosophers and the tradition of Rome and Greece for aid and comfort.The work is one of the most historically important works ever written: it is through Boethius that we had knowledge of Aristotle during the middle ages.
The One and the Good
_Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.
Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Happiness    3. History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy and religion    6. English    7. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    8. Philosophy / Medieval    9. Prose & writers: classical, early & medieval   

Subjects:  1. Llull, Ramon   

Reviews (1)

The Mind that Rivals Aquinas
This is not a book for the philosopher timid of heart.Blessed John Duns Scotus is one of the greatest minds that the Franciscan school of thought has produced.He has inspired so much of the work of the Franciscan philosophers and theologians; although it must be said that the Franciscans are very free thinkers.The book contains both selections from the metaphysical texts of Scotus and a commentary by William Frank and Allan Wolter, who have brilliantly unwoven the tightly knit thought of this logical mastermind.Scotus can prove a great challenge for the sheer depth of his work and also because of the modern mind's distance from the time, place, and style within which Scotus wrote.These two commentators provide the avid philosopher ample tools for the successful comprehension of the Scotistic vision of metaphysics, including his highly contraversial theory of univocity (Thomists, please read this with an open mind). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Duns Scotus, John,    2. God    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. History of doctrines    5. Knowledge, Theory of    6. Metaphysics    7. Middle Ages, 600-1500    8. Philosophy    9. ca. 1266-1308    10. Christian theology    11. Metaphysics & ontology    12. Religion / Theism    13. Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Medieval    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy, Medieval    4. Philosophy / General    5. Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600   

Reviews (32)

Thrilling
This is one of those books you have sometimes have to put down, because too many ideas are racing through your mind and you need time to absorb and digest what you have just read. It is an historical thriller that captures the dynamic personalities and the relentless energy of a society growing in intellectual confidence.
P & ~P
Contrary to Russell's claim that all philosophical history consists in footnotes to Plato, Richard E. Rubenstein shows how it is all a response to Aristotle.
How Aristotle's Genius Came To Be Known To the World
Mr. Rubenstein's book is an excellent history on how Christians, Muslims, and Jews rediscovered Aristotle's works and brought light to the Dark Ages."The 3,000 pages of Aristotle's works on biology, physics, psychology, logic, ethics, and politics seemed to be a bequest from a superior civilization."The publication of his works had had a transformative effect on European society deepening scientific and philosophical enquiry.It was the Muslim's and Jews of the 6th century that first translated Aristotle's works.It is during the crusades that the Christians encounter his works along with algebra and astronomy.It is at this point that the book really goes into depth on how church fathers like Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas blend Aristotelian reason with church doctrine.Of course, not all church fathers were enamored with Aristotle's teachings and Mr. Rubenstein elucidates the struggle that takes place within the church over several hundred years.
Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History & Surveys - General    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. History Of Philosophy    5. History Of Religion (General)    6. History: World    7. Medieval    8. Philosophy    9. Ancient Western philosophy to c 500    10. Religion & Beliefs    11. Religion / History   

Subjects:  1. Early works to 1800    2. General    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. History & Theory - General    5. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    6. Philosophy    7. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    8. Political Science    9. Utopias    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Literary Collections / General    12. Other prose: 16th to 18th centuries   

Reviews (3)

excellent overview
Kerr's book is, in large part, a survey of the recent revival of interest in Thomas Aquinas' thought, gathering together a wide variety of interpretations that are not all readily available in English or in any one place. In surveying these interpretations, however, Kerr produces his own, somewhat revisionist interpretation of Aquinas, one that in many ways will complement the treatment already given by others (e.g., Milbank and Pickstock), though at points indirectly contesting their account.As such, it serves as an excellent introduction to the thought of Aquinas in the context of the last century of debates on how to interpret his thought properly.
Exception Survey of Modern Thomism
After Aquinas: Versions of Thomism by Fergus Kerr (Blackwell Publishers) (Paperback)
A rare gem
Kerr, a Dominican, is Regent of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and editor of "New Blackfriars," the periodical of the English Dominicans.This book is one of the most fascinating and informative books on Thomas to come along in some time.Kerr focuses on the period beginning with Pope Leo XIII's endorsement of Thomism as a bulwark against post-Cartesian modernism and subjectivism, and the division of Thomism into Transcendental (essentially Kantian-informed) and Existential (anti-Kantian and anti-modern) factions.He shows how modern Thomism has been shaped by, and is thus largely a product of, reactions to modern thinkers, such as Descartes, Kant, Heidegger and other thinkers.He successfully destabilizes the conventional view of Thomas as important mainly for his theistic proofs (the "five ways") and natural law theory, not only by arguing that Thomas's arguments are essentially unintelligible apart from his larger theological purposes, but that these purposes change the way we understand even his philosophical importance.The Thomas that emerges in Kerr's account makes an interesting dialogue partner with contemporary thinkers such as Martin Heidegger and Karl Barth.Furthermore, he holds his own against Barth's misguided claims that Thomas's concept of "nature" doesn't take sin seriously, or that his notion of divine "simplicity" is idolatrous, or that his concept of "analogia entis" is the invention of Antichrist!The Thomism that emerges is strikingly at odds with that which we often encounter in the secular or Protestant "textbook traditions," where Thomas's God is a barren "First Cause" or abstract "immutable substance," for example.Once we understand what Thomas means, Kerr argues, we see that his God is so dynamic that He is more accurately defined by verbs than by nouns!Kerr offers chatty, and sometimes wickedly naughty behind-the-scene peeks into controversies that have shaped modern Thomism, such as the very personal controversy between Garrigou-Lagrange and de Lubac.He also apprears to be thoroughly conversant with recent non-Catholic theology (for example, such as the work of the Lutheran theologian, Robert Jensen, or the New Finnish interpretation of Luther's notion of justification as close to the Greek idea of "theosis"-- an idea for which Kerr finds some parallel in Thomas's view of sanctification).He is, of course, intimately familiar with the usual suspects--the Catholic standards (Gilson, Chenu, Maritain, Von Balthasar).Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General    2. History & Surveys - Medieval    3. Philosophy    4. Thomists    5. Christian theology    6. Religion / Philosophy    7. Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600   

Subjects:  1. 1225?-1274    2. Aquinas, Saint,    3. Catholic Church    4. Christianity - Christian Life    5. Devotional    6. Doctrines    7. Fathers Of The Church (Christianity)    8. Religion    9. Religion - Prayer & Spirituality    10. Spirituality    11. Thomas,    12. Christian theology    13. Contributions in creation spirituality    14. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    15. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    16. Thomas   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. History & Surveys - Medieval    3. Medieval Philosophy    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy, Medieval    6. Reference    7. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    8. Philosophy / Medieval   

Subjects:  1. Eastern - General    2. History & Surveys - Medieval    3. Islam - General    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy, Islamic    6. Philosophy, Medieval    7. Religious    8. Islamic & Arabic philosophy    9. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (2)

The Perfect Text
I am not a historian, but I have a great interest in the Middle Ages. I wanted a book for reference to the topics and ideas of the times. Upon buying this book, I got much more. This book is not so much a history book in the sense that it doesn't devote its full attention to wars and etc. It is more the history of ideas in the Middle Ages. As such, I found it very readable, and at the same time extremely deep and thought provoking. I have used this book in more research projects that I can count; I practically have the MLA info memorized from it. If you own one book on the Middle Ages, this should be it. A Historical Survey of the Middle Ages
This particular text used to be the standard textbook 40 years ago for teachers and students of Medieval history. Does this mean that this book is outdated or no longer a good text? Not necessarily. The one thing I like about this text is the fact that Artz covers attitudes, arts and literature, as well as the atmosphere of learning that permeated the middle ages. He discusses the shifts that occurred during this period in thinking, languages, religion, etc. The book is a wonderful text for those who are interested in a detail assessment and exposition of the period known as the "Dark Ages." An age that was, in reality, not all that "dark." In the first part of the book, Artz covers the influence of the east (what he calls the "Classical Background"). In this part, Artz discussesmedieval Christianity, the Influence of the Jews, Latin and Greek influence, and Islamic influence. The last part of the text covers the trends in literature, art, music, humanists, philosophy, etc. This whole text is a wonderful read for the serious and not so serious student of the history of early to late middle ages. Don't dismiss this good book just because it is no longer THE standard text. That would be a tragic loss. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization, Medieval    2. Europe    3. General    4. History    5. History & Surveys - Medieval    6. History: World    7. Intellectual life    8. Medieval    9. Psychology    10. To 1500    11. BCE to c 500 CE    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    13. World history: c 500 to C 1500    14. c 1000 CE to c 1500    15. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Reviews (3)

Critical, repetitive, for the theologically tenacious only.
Anselm is most famously identified with his ontological arguments. This collection begins with the Monologian, a soliloquy (or meditation), and the Proslogian, an allocution, Anselm's go at a more robust ontology. It is true that classical ontology has not been highly regarded in the modern and post-modern academies; the "science of being" is metaphysical and not something that fits well with modern methods, or uses, of inquiry. This is so because classic ontology, as developed notably by Anaxagoras, Plato, Plotinus, etc, sees the central question of being (i.e. existence, essence, the-thing-in-itself) as transcending all sense-based inquiry (empiricism). In modern thought, 'pure reason' as such recoils from a ubiquitous relativism (please notice the self-contradiction) and broadly nihilistic presuppositions. An epistemologically and psychologically troubled mix! It is not the case that the modern thinker has 'refuted' ontological arguments so much as it is the case that he fancies them odd and tedious, presumes them useless, and conveniently pronounces them "meaningless". If, after surveying the problems of the modern/post-modern views, you think Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus might have been onto something, Anselm may interest you (although he may put you to sleep with his deliberate and repetitive arguments).
Important for understanding how we got where we are
Anselm of Canterbury is one of the most important theologians in the history of the Western Church. That means that his ideas most likely have influenced the way you think about the world, whether you realize it or not. It also means that the ideas he taught have reached us in a very garbled form. Take his doctrine of the "atonement," for instance (you can read it in "Why God Became Man" in this volume). Anselm taught that by sinning humans have failed to give God the "honor" due him as our creator and as a supremely great and good and beautiful being. This creates a "debt" that must be paid back. We can't pay it, because even if we were perfectly good (which we can't be), that would only be our due anyway. It wouldn't pay back the original "debt" incurred by Adam and Eve. That debt is so great that only God himself could pay it. Yet the debt had to be paid by a human being. So God became human and paid the debt on our behalf. Good Classic Christian Reading
Anselm was a very important author for Medieval Christianity.He contributed the Ontological argument for the existence (or should I say subsitence) of God, as well as formulating verbally the substitutionaryatonement of Christ. This book provides these as well as a host of otherrich classical Christian thoughts.It is difficult reading, but excellentin that it makes one think, believer or non-believer, in the metaphysicalrealities of life.I would have to say a must for anyone interested in thedevelopment of Christian thinking, as well as Philosophical development. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General    2. Early works to 1800    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. Individual Theologians And Their Works (General)    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Medieval    7. Medieval Philosophy    8. Philosophy    9. Philosophy, Medieval    10. Religion    11. Religious    12. Theology, Doctrinal    13. Christianity    14. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    15. Philosophy of religion    16. Religion & Theology | History of Christianity | Medieval    17. Religion / Philosophy   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Medieval    2. Philosophy    3. England    4. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    5. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    6. William,--of Ockham,--ca. 1285-ca. 1349   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. History & Surveys - Medieval    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy, Medieval    5. History of ideas, intellectual history    6. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    7. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys   

Reviews (2)

Staking a claim for a Christian philosophical tradition.
What does it mean to speak of a Christian philosophy?That is a question that motivated Gilson's work.As a profoundly gifted scholar and historian of philosophy, Gilson was in a perfect position to raise this tendentious question. Christian Philosophy in the Medieval World!
This work is Etienne Gilson's examination of Christian philosophy as it appeared in medieval times, especially as revealed in the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas.The main thesis for this book is that Christian philosophy is indeed a coherent concept and indeed prevailed in the middle ages.The book, a series of lectures given by Gilson, is divided into two halves.The first half deals with metaphysics and anthropology as seen from the Christian perspective (particularly questions concerning God and the concept of a person).The second half deals with the Christian noetic and ethics.The major Christian philosophers dealt with include especially St. Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, St. Augustine, Boethius, St. Bonaventure, and St. Anselm.The relationship (and possible conflict) between medieval Thomism and Augustinism is fully dealt with.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. History & Surveys - Medieval    3. Medieval Philosophy    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy and religion    6. Philosophy, Medieval    7. Scholasticism    8. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy