Medieval Philosophy Network, 22nd Meeting
24 June 2019
The Warburg Institute | University of London | School of Advanced Study | Woburn Square | London WC1H 0AB
PROGRAM
* * *
11:30 - 12:30 Jeffrey Brower (University of Purdue)
“Platonism about Goodness—Anselm’s Proof in the Monologion”
12:30 - 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 - 15:00 Spencer Johnston (University of Cambridge)
“Temporality and Modality in Buridan’s Questions on Generation & Corruption”
15:00 - 16:00 John Marenbon (University of Cambridge)
“Relations in Medieval Philosophy: against the standard account”
16:00 – 16:30 Coffee/Tea break
16:30 – 17:30 Feriel Bouhafa (University of Cambridge)
“Revisiting Farabi’s philosophy of religion: a philosophy of communities of meaning”
17:30 Conference ends
* * *
ABSTRACTS
“Platonism about Goodness—Anselm’s Proof in the Monologion”
By Jeffrey Brower (University of Purdue)
In the opening chapter of the Monologion, Anselm offers an intriguing proof for the existence of a Platonic form of goodness. This proof is extremely interesting, both in itself and for its place in the broader argument for God’s existence that Anselm develops in the Monologion as a whole. Even so, it has yet to receive the scholarly attention that it deserves. My aim in this paper is to begin correcting this state of affairs by examining Anslem’s proof in some detail. In particular, I aim to clarify the proof’s structure, motivate and explain its central premises, and start the larger project of evaluating its overall success as an argument for Platonism about goodness.
“Temporality and Modality in Buridan’s Questions on Generation & Corruption”
Spencer Johnston (University of Cambridge)
The aim of this talk is to discuss one kind of modality that one finds in Buridan’s writings on natural philosophy and to relate them to a number of features of his ‘properly’ logical writings. These are temporal expressions connected to the ideas of generation and corruption. Drawing from various remarks Buridan makes in the Quaestiones Super Libros de Generatione et corruption Aristotelies we will argue that the theory of generation and corruption provides important background to medieval theories about ampliation and supposition, and in particular, why some terms ampliate their subjects to the past or to the future.
“Relations in Medieval Philosophy: against the standard account”
John Marenbon (University of Cambridge)
I am speaking to a Network Meeting about relations for the second time, so as to take advantage of the presence of Jeff Brower, who wrote the important Stanford Encyclopedia article on Relations in Medieval Philosophy. But I don’t want to repeat myself! I shall, therefore, begin by drawing together some ideas about how many discussions inthe early medieval Latin tradition goes against the Standard Account, according to which relations in before are Ockham are real, monadic properties, following the model for accidents in Aristotle’s Categories. I shall then look especially at Abelard’s views on relations and those found in an anonymous twelfth-century Categories commentary (C24 in my Catalogue, St Gall Stiftsbibliothek 833).
“Revisiting Farabi’s philosophy of religion: a philosophy of communities of meaning”
Feriel Bouhafa (University of Cambridge)
My aim is to examine the terms of the relation between philosophy and religion (milla) in Farabi's thought. To this end, I shall first explore how does Farabi account for religion and its sciences within a philosophical curriculum in his Kitāb al-milla (The book of religion) and then revisit some of the various scenarios he outlines to explain how philosophy and milla develop within societies in his Kitāb al-ḥurūf (The book of letters)? Finally, I would argue that Farabi's conception of the relation between philosophy and milla is premised on both scientific criteria and historical account of how discourses of argumentation and philosophy are introduced within religious communities.
* * *
11:30 - 12:30 Jeffrey Brower (University of Purdue)
“Platonism about Goodness—Anselm’s Proof in the Monologion”
12:30 - 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 - 15:00 Spencer Johnston (University of Cambridge)
“Temporality and Modality in Buridan’s Questions on Generation & Corruption”
15:00 - 16:00 John Marenbon (University of Cambridge)
“Relations in Medieval Philosophy: against the standard account”
16:00 – 16:30 Coffee/Tea break
16:30 – 17:30 Feriel Bouhafa (University of Cambridge)
“Revisiting Farabi’s philosophy of religion: a philosophy of communities of meaning”
17:30 Conference ends
* * *
ABSTRACTS
“Platonism about Goodness—Anselm’s Proof in the Monologion”
By Jeffrey Brower (University of Purdue)
In the opening chapter of the Monologion, Anselm offers an intriguing proof for the existence of a Platonic form of goodness. This proof is extremely interesting, both in itself and for its place in the broader argument for God’s existence that Anselm develops in the Monologion as a whole. Even so, it has yet to receive the scholarly attention that it deserves. My aim in this paper is to begin correcting this state of affairs by examining Anslem’s proof in some detail. In particular, I aim to clarify the proof’s structure, motivate and explain its central premises, and start the larger project of evaluating its overall success as an argument for Platonism about goodness.
“Temporality and Modality in Buridan’s Questions on Generation & Corruption”
Spencer Johnston (University of Cambridge)
The aim of this talk is to discuss one kind of modality that one finds in Buridan’s writings on natural philosophy and to relate them to a number of features of his ‘properly’ logical writings. These are temporal expressions connected to the ideas of generation and corruption. Drawing from various remarks Buridan makes in the Quaestiones Super Libros de Generatione et corruption Aristotelies we will argue that the theory of generation and corruption provides important background to medieval theories about ampliation and supposition, and in particular, why some terms ampliate their subjects to the past or to the future.
“Relations in Medieval Philosophy: against the standard account”
John Marenbon (University of Cambridge)
I am speaking to a Network Meeting about relations for the second time, so as to take advantage of the presence of Jeff Brower, who wrote the important Stanford Encyclopedia article on Relations in Medieval Philosophy. But I don’t want to repeat myself! I shall, therefore, begin by drawing together some ideas about how many discussions inthe early medieval Latin tradition goes against the Standard Account, according to which relations in before are Ockham are real, monadic properties, following the model for accidents in Aristotle’s Categories. I shall then look especially at Abelard’s views on relations and those found in an anonymous twelfth-century Categories commentary (C24 in my Catalogue, St Gall Stiftsbibliothek 833).
“Revisiting Farabi’s philosophy of religion: a philosophy of communities of meaning”
Feriel Bouhafa (University of Cambridge)
My aim is to examine the terms of the relation between philosophy and religion (milla) in Farabi's thought. To this end, I shall first explore how does Farabi account for religion and its sciences within a philosophical curriculum in his Kitāb al-milla (The book of religion) and then revisit some of the various scenarios he outlines to explain how philosophy and milla develop within societies in his Kitāb al-ḥurūf (The book of letters)? Finally, I would argue that Farabi's conception of the relation between philosophy and milla is premised on both scientific criteria and historical account of how discourses of argumentation and philosophy are introduced within religious communities.
