Anselm's argumentum and the early medieval theory of argument
Vivarium 45 (1):1-29 (2007)
| Abstract | The article aims at elucidating the argumentation in Anselm's Proslogion by relating some aspects of it to the early medieval theory of argument. The focus of the analysis is on the "single argument" (unum argumentum), the discovery of which Anselm announces in the Preface to the Proslogion. Part 1 of the article offers a preliminary description of the single argument by describing the reductio ad absurdum technique based on the notion "that than which a greater cannot be thought". Part 2 discusses the ideas about arguments and argumentation that Boethius presents in Book One of his In Ciceronis Topica. Part 3 draws attention to some early medieval sources (Abelard, Lanfranc, Anselm) that are witness to the importance of the Boethian ideas in Anselm's time. Finally, Part 4 argues that Anselm looked at his single argument in the Boethian framework and that the term "that than which a greater cannot be thought" should be identified as his single argument. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,672 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesNancy Kendrick (2011). The Non-Christian Influence on Anselm's Proslogion Argument. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 69 (2):73-89.
Toivo J. Holopainen (2011). Reading Anselm's Proslogion: The History of Anselm's Argument and its Significance Today. By Ian Logan. Heythrop Journal 52 (1):129-130.
Mark Owen Webb (2005). In Defense of Anselm. Philo 8 (1):55-58.
Brian Leftow (2002). Anselm's Neglected Argument. Philosophy 77 (3):331-347.
Gary Mar (1996). The Modal Unity of Anselm's Proslogion. Faith and Philosophy 13 (1):50-67.
Gary Mar (1996). The Modal Unity of Anselm's Proslogion. Faith and Philosophy 13 (1):50-67.
Ian Logan (2008). Reading Anselm's Proslogion: The History of Anselm's Argument and its Significance Today. Ashgate Pub. Ltd..
Philip Hugly & Charles Sayward (1990). Offices and God. Sophia 29:29-34.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads15 ( #78,614 of 549,051 )Recent downloads (6 months)2 ( #37,252 of 549,051 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
