The late medieval discussion of 'nobility' (= nobilitas, dignitas) defined in philosophical terms (as opposed to other social notions like 'aristocracy'), produced a large number of writings, many of which are still unedited. Nevertheless, modern philosophical historiography (developed throughout the seventeenth century and reaching its first apogee with Hegel) has neglected the conceptual debates on nobility. Perhaps having assumed it to be a dead relic of the 'pre-illuminist' past, historians and philosophers understood 'nobility' as a non-philosophical issue and so it (...) still appears in contemporary scholarship. The first aim of this essay is to draw attention to this issue by presenting a sort of preliminary catalogue of the different types of conceptualizations of 'mobility'. By exploring the meanings and philosophical employment of the expressions 'bene nasci' and 'bene natus', this article also reveals a new aspect of the Aristotelian notion of magnanimity. (shrink)

This article presents two case-studies that shed light on the silent yet significant role an editor might play in the reception of Renaissance texts and the place of Thomas Aquinas therein. Both studies take up texts from fifteenth-century Italy. The first addresses the scholastic philosopher, Dominic of Flanders, suggesting that Dominic’s originality as a thinker may have been ‘corrected’ by an anonymous editor in order to maintain closer accord with Aquinas’s position; inquiry into the manuscript tradition uncovers instances of silent (...) intervention. The second addresses a Latin dialogue by the physician and humanist, Antonio de Ferraris (Galateo), drawing attention to a significant suppression of the interlocutor Thomas Aquinas, this time by a twentieth century editor. (shrink)

Francis of Marchia dealt at length in several different contexts with the nature of the will and willing. Here I examine just one of those discussions: the possibility for the will to go against reason's final judgment, a topic related to weakness of will and the source of sin. Marchia is clearly of a voluntaristic bent, holding that the will can indeed act against the determination of reason. After examining Marchia's argumentation for his position, I explore some of the background (...) to Marchia's view in a distinctively later medieval understanding of the human mind as a system of internal acts and dispositions, with the possibility that several of them belong to the same faculty simultaneously. This increasingly complex conceptualisation of the mind mirrors a new, more complex conceptualization of the "Self". (shrink)

Recognition, Purgation, Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Language.

This paper contributes to a larger question concerning the modern genealogy of the concepts of evidence, reliable knowledge, and value. These are studied in relation to cognate notions such as trust, epistemic authority, and recognition. A first element is the nature and the role of â probable thinkingâ as it has long been employed in both Law and Logic. This involves the legal pre-modern origins of the innovative notion of â certaintyâ : how is it possible to rely on human (...) knowledge beyond the precincts either of deductive or of empirical evidence? As a consequence, the second element is the role of testimony in the constitution of reliable knowledge. Which are the anthropological requirements for any reliable testimony in matters concerning truth? Two additional elements are to be taken into account. The first one is the ingenuity of the persons involved, having in mind that one of the ancient meanings of the word â probableâ did not concern state of affairs, but rational agents instead. The â vir probabilisâ for the Renaissance readers of Cicero and Aristotleâ s Rhetoric, is the â expertâ, the man who is able to provide a successful, dialectic argument in support of his statements. The second element is reputation, which includes social dignity, gender, and the construction of authority. Beyond individual skills and qualities, it addresses the intersubjective dimension of conversation, the role of peersâ assessment, and the very notion of a shared, commonly accepted, set of values. The juridical treatises De testibus are commonly preceded by a section dedicated to analysis of the character and the debate on human nobility. The anthropological premise is meant to explain the witnessâ s trustworthiness, while it implies the exclusion of testimonies which turn out to be unreliable source for dialectical reasoning. In fact, the above mentioned requirements exclude entire groups of people, discriminated on the basis of their mental, sexual, ethnical, or political status. Few writings from the Quattrocento, however, cast doubt upon such discrimination: the women, for instance, may be good logician, as we read in the vernacular dialogue called Il Paradiso degli Alberti. Momus, the anti-hero of Leon Battista Albertiâ s eponymous comedy, vindicates the â logic of follyâ, the right of the outsider to criticize the established ways of thinking. Against such a background, the paper focuses on figures of women who did logic, either actively or passively. Thus, we shall also try to explore the place and role of the mulier probabilis. (shrink)

© Cambridge University Press 2015. Philosophia and theologia To understand the role of theology and philosophy in Dante, it is important to remember that, in the Middle Ages, the symbiosis between knowledge and religious faith was universally accepted. The Bible constituted the culture’s key and determining authoritative text, which in practice meant constant reference to the Christian idea of the divine based on scriptural revelation, namely the Trinity, creation from nothing, the Incarnation, and the resurrection of the dead. In order (...) to grasp the key features of this synthesis, it is useful to stress four elements: One terminological, the other three historical. Let us begin by examining the meanings and values of the two terms that circumscribe this chapter: Philosophy and theology. During the long Latin Middle Ages, from Augustine and Boethius until the time of Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas, the terms philosophia and theologia were far from semantically stable. A rapid glance at the late-antique and high-medieval tradition brings to the fore the terms’ distinct principal meanings - meanings that persist up to Dante’s time. Philosophia covered a wider semantic area than theologia: ‘it embraces all knowledge, all education, even rhetoric and poetry’. In general terms, however, it is possible to distinguish two fields, a general and a particular one. In its general meaning, philosophia refers to wisdom, namely the highest and most fundamental form of knowledge, as well as the perfect way of life for a rational entity such as a human being. This did not mean simply a notion of wisdom as a superior organizing and hierarchizing activity, which pagan thinkers such as Aristotle had already theorized, but also a proper way of living based on Christ’s teachings and Christian values. When such a meaning of wisdom was associated with religious monastic life, for instance, ‘philosophy’ could become synonymous with ‘monastic rule’. The ethical dimension of such a perspective is both implicit and essential: In negative terms, it contributes to defining that which is not useful for achieving salvation. Consequently, ‘true philosophy’ cannot be considered in its essence without also thinking about what stands against it, what prevents humanity from receiving the gift of divine grace. This is not merely an error of knowledge, but an actual sin, a ‘heresy’. (shrink)

The notion of recognition, as far as the oeuvre of Thomas Aquinas is concerned, is still waiting for a detailed survey. This is the aim of the present contribution, which proposes a twofold approach. On the one hand, it tries to provide a comprehensive overview of the different ways and contexts in which Aquinas uses the vocabulary of recognition. In such a line of inquiry, some attention must be paid to Aquinas’s commentaries on the Scripture as an underrated source for (...) genuine philosophical analysis. On the other hand, however, the study vindicates an original conception of recognition, coalescent with cognate notions like ‘reverence’, ‘testimony’, and ‘divine honor’. The crucial texts, in this case, are taken from the Summa theologiae, arguably Aquinas’s more personal work, and especially from its Second Part. On the notion of ‘reverence’, one can find some recent significant scholarly contributions. The implications for the question of recognition have nonetheless remained unexplored. At the junction of these two lines of inquiry, Aquinas’s conception should finally manifest its structure and peculiar characteristics. Capitalizing upon that, in the conclusion of the article, it will also be possible to suggest some traits of the Renaissance fortunes of the Thomistic ‘recognition’ as referred to by some Dominican theologians of the sixteenth century. (shrink)

The late medieval discussion of 'nobility' defined in philosophical terms, produced a large number of writings, many of which are still unedited. Nevertheless, modern philosophical historiography has neglected the conceptual debates on nobility. Perhaps having assumed it to be a dead relic of the 'pre-illuminist' past, historians and philosophers understood 'nobility' as a non-philosophical issue and so it still appears in contemporary scholarship. The first aim of this essay is to draw attention to this issue by presenting a sort of (...) preliminary catalogue of the different types of conceptualizations of 'mobility'. By exploring the meanings and philosophical employment of the expressions 'bene nasci' and 'bene natus', this article also reveals a new aspect of the Aristotelian notion of magnanimity. (shrink)

The Arabic philosophical tradition played an important role in the formation of theological, philosophical and scientific thought in medieval Europe subsequent to the translations from Arabic into Latin in the 12th and 13th centuries. The influence of that Arabic classical rationalist tradition in works by al-Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes and the Liber de causis is evident in the thought of Thomas Aquinas, though the breadth and depth of that influence is often insufficiently noted and explained by scholars of Aquinas. This course (...) focuses on the metaphysics, epistemology and psychology of Aquinas in the development of his philosophical conceptions of soul and intellect in the context of his use of sources in Aristotle and works by philosophers of the Arabic tradition, particularly Avicenna and Averroes. Readings are selected from writings from each of the four major periods of his career starting with his first major work, the Commentary on the Sentences. The course was planned to be taught at Marquette, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the Universidad Panamericana as a hybrid course. That is, it was taught using online tools and resources and also in the classroom with face-to-face meetings once per week. And it was taught at Marquette, KU Leuven and the Universidad Panamericana simultaneously. On Thursdays students met online with video and audio for questions and discussion with Profs. Taylor, Robiglio and López-Farjeat and the student groups in Milwaukee, Leuven and Mexico City live. (shrink)

It has been claimed that, among its other creations, the Italian Renaissance invented the Duel. Although part of the ritual that shapes medieval aristocratic identity, dueling in its modern form emerged in the sixteenth century in close connection with a new concept of honor. The aim of my paper is to explore aspects of the pre-modern concepts of honor, defined against mere social recognition. Paying attention to both juridical texts and philosophical treatises, I intend to shed some light on problems (...) as different as conflicts’ settlements, the control of violence, and the legitimation of civil power. (shrink)

The present volumes unites papers which explore the European image of god in an intercultural context. They range from classical antiquity to contemporary philosophy and science.

The volume explores the relationship of artists and intellectuals from ancient Greece to modern times.