Abstract

Peter Damian is usually described in the History of Philosophy as a kind of enemy of dialectic, the major example of the medieval anti-intelectual. Much of his fame is the result of an excerpt from his work De divina omnipotentia, in which he seems to argue that God could break the principle of non-contradiction. In this paper, we intend to show that Damian does not attack the validity of the principle of non-contradiction, and does not build a general critique of the dialectical principles. However, he also does not seem enthusiastic about it, especially in matters of faith. So although it is not fair to characterize him as an obstinate anti-intellectual, it is necessary to consider his little enthusiasm for the application of dialectic in theology.