History of Medieval Philosophy

by Frederick Charles Copleston

Book Overview

In this classic work, Frederick C. Copleston, S.J., outlines the development of philosophical reflection in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought from the ancient world to the late medieval period. A History of Medieval Philosophy is an invaluable general introduction that also includes longer treatments of such leading thinkers as Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0268010919
• ISBN13: 9780268010911
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Length: 410 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.6" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Coplestonian readability

Copleston's encyclopedic knowledge is brought to the forefront in this book which is essencially vols 2 and 3 of his Medieval Philosophy series united for the sake of presenting the era in a more unified and coherent manner. For the most part Father Copleston S.J. makes each chapter interesting and a clear progress builds from one chapter to the next, even if the chapters are not arranged chronologically (such as with the chapters on Jewish and Muslim philosophy). The final chapter on Nicholas of Cusa argues intelligently for the fact that he should be concidered neither a Medieval, nor a Renaissance figure but belonging very clearly to the watershed age between the two eras. Surprisingly light on Aquinas, Copleston's history runs the full of the Middle Ages, from the classical philosophical influences to the patristic writings, Isidor of Seville and Cassiodorus, John Scotus Eriugena, the translators, Jewish and Muslim philosophers etc. If you want a great book on Aquinas (biography more that philosophy) look at Copleston's "Aquinas". Not that A Histor of M P neglect Aquinas, but given the overview nature of the book, Copleston is very selective and focuses on the influences on Aquinas and his contributions to later philosophy more than the whole Thomistic spirit. The only place that it gets a little dry is with the later scholastics, Ockham and the discussion of the nature of language and logic which Copleston masterfully combines together and presents as the precursor of 20th century analytical philosophy and compares to Wittgenstein. Still, the nominalist chaper is quite slow and heavy reading due to the nature of the subject. Copleston notes that in the introduction to the 1972 edition that he added and expanded significantly the sections on Jewish and Muslim philosophy so make sure you get a later edition. Cheers, Adam

An interesting text of a lesser-known time

Copleston's `History of Medieval Philosophy' has gone through several revisions, the first of which was in 1952 as part of Methuen's Home Study Books series. This is a text I used in a second-year philosophy course at my university. So often the study of philosophy jumps from the classical period of ancient Greece, with a bit of expansion in Rome and early Christian times, to the Renaissance, Enlightenment and more modern periods. The so-called `Dark Ages' are often ignored, but as Copleston's book will attest, there was plenty of activity, many prominent figures, and quite a significant development of philosophy through this period - as a link between the classical Greek/Roman period to the Renaissance, it could not help but to be of importance.Copleston takes in the wide range of philosophical development. This does not focus exclusively on the Western philosophical tradition, although that is the primary subject matter. Copleston brings in material from the Islamic and Jewish philosophical traditions contemporary with the Western development - at the time, the Islamic culture was more advanced than that of Western Europe, and many significant advances in various disciplines were made in this civilisation. Three chapters on ancient Christian thought (religious and philosophical) set the stage for the era; Neoplatonism was a dominant philosophical school, embrace by Augustine. Other notable figures of the period include Origen, Pseudo-Dionysius, and Boethius (although Copleston describes him as being `not of much originality'). After this examination of the ancient Christian times, he proceeds to the early Middle Ages, looking at the developments around the time of Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance (an often overlooked historical period). John Scotus Erigena appears here, as the first eminent philosopher of the Middle Ages, according to Copleston.From Scotus to Anselm and Abelard is a relatively `dry' period, which some activity, but not much development. However, in St. Anselm and Peter Abelard are first-rate philosophical minds, in very different casts. Anselm was much more the theologian; Abelard was more concerned with philosophical development that at certain periods might earn him the label of heretic. Copleston devotes individual chapters each to the Twelfth Century Schools of philosophy, the Philosophy of Islam, and Jewish Philosophy of the time. In the twelfth century, there were many centres of learning - Oxford, Paris, Bologna, which developed as significant academic hubs (Oxford and Paris have continued with world reputations begun at this time). Islamic philosophy looks at figures such as Al-kindi of Baghdad (d. 870) and Al-Farabi (d. 950), who dealt with the religious/philosophical divide in different ways. Abu Ibn-Sina (Avicenna, in Christian writings) was possibly the most significant of Islamic philosophers, and much of his writing as survived. A Persian by birth, he was a Renaissance man with interests

Magisterial, but dry book.

Frederick C. Copleston is a master historian. His nine-volume A History of Philosophy is remarkable in its breadth, depth and analyticity, especially the volume on ancient Greek philosophy. However, Copleston's work A History of Medieval Philosophy, while being a good intro work is nevertheless very dry and difficult to read. The familiar objectivity and precision of the Jesuit is present in this book. But Copleston needed to add life to this work. That is the main "beef" I have with this history. That complaint notwithstanding, this is a great text. Copleston begins his coverage of the medieval period by showing the important connection between ancient Christianity and medieval thought. He then discusses such thinkers as John Erigena, Berengarius of Tours and Roscelin of Compiegne. He briefly recounts the controversies that the latter two individuals are known for (i.e. transubstantiation and tritheism) before turning to Anselm of Canterbury and Anselm of Heloise fame. Maybe Copleston could have supplied more details in the aforementioned chapters and spared some unnnecessary details in other parts of the book. In any event, Copleston's history must be read by all those who are serious about medieval philosophy. It is the perfect place to initiate one's immersion into medieval thought.

A Marvelous Introductory Resource

In this book, one finds access to the world of medieval philosophy. The book does a great job of hitting the key ideas of numerous figures within medieval Christian philosophy and provides worthwhile chapters on philosphers from the Islamic and Judaic traditions as well. Additionally, the survey provides biographical sketches and historical background for the treatments of the key figures and periods.