History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

Italy’s greatest poet Dante Alighieri was also a philosopher, as we learn from his Convivio and of course the Divine Comedy.

Marguerite Porete is put to death for her exploration of the love of God, The Mirror of Simple Souls.

An introduction to philosophy in the 14th century, focusing on two big ideas: nominalism and voluntarism.

Peter hears about Duns Scotus' epistemology from expert Giorgio Pini.

Scotus explains how things can share a nature in common while being unique individuals.

Scotus argues that morality is a matter of freely choosing to follow God’s freely issued commands.

Scotus develops a novel theory of free will and, along the way, rethinks the notions of necessity and possibility.

Duns Scotus attacks the proposal of Aquinas and Henry of Ghent that being is subject to analogy.

Medieval discussions of the Trinity charted new metaphysical territory, as we see in this interview with Richard Cross.

Philosophy is pushed to its limits to provide rational explanations of two Christian theological doctrines.

An interview with Martin Pickavé on voluntarism in Henry of Ghent.

Henry of Ghent, now little known but a leading scholastic in the late 13th century, makes influential proposals on all the debates of his time.

Does medieval art tell us anything about medieval theories of aesthetics? Peter finds out from Andreas Speer.

Sex, reason, and religion in Jean de Meun’s completion of an allegory of courtly love, the Roman de la Rose.

The “modistae” explore the links between language, the mind, and reality.

Aquinas, Bonaventure, and the so-called “Latin Averroists” take up the question of whether the universe has always existed, and settle once and for all which comes first, the chicken or the egg.

Did Siger of Brabant and Boethius of Dacia, who have been called “Latin Averroists” and “radical Aristotelians,” really embrace a doctrine of “double truth”?

Peter answers listener questions on the nature of philosophy and the podcast series.

Two rounds of condemnations at Paris declare certain philosophical teachings as heretical. But what were the long term effects?

In his City of God Augustine traces the histories and philosophical underpinnings of two “cities,” one devoted to worldly glory, the other to heavenly bliss.