Siger of Brabant

Abstract

Siger of Brabant (c. 1240–c. 1284) is one of the most controversial authors of the Middle Ages, and there are conflicting opinions about him. Some see him as one of the most dangerous heretics which were condemned by the Bishop of Paris in 1277. Others regard him as one of the most remarkable philosophers of the thirteenth century, whom Dante Alighieri includes in his “Paradise” alongside Thomas Aquinas, Albert the Great, and King Solomon. It is true that he before 1270, as a young professor of the Faculty of Arts in Paris, defended a heterodox thesis, which was inspired by Averroes’ commentary of Aristotle, that there is only one intellect for all humans. Clearly such a position suppresses any immortality of the soul. The evolution of Siger’s thought is very clear, however. He progressively abandons this thesis for the interpretation of Thomas Aquinas. But in other areas he defends an original view, namely a complete separation of philosophy and the teachings of theology. According to him, philosophy should have full autonomy, although within limits. He took stands on some of the most passionate debates at the end of the thirteenth century, such as freedom and the eternity of the world, and Siger of Brabant remains one of the most controversial thinkers of all time.