History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

HoP 271 - Do As You’re Told - Ockham on Ethics and Political Philosophy

William of Ockham on freedom of action and freedom of thought.

HoP 270 - Render unto Caesar - Marsilius of Padua

In his book Defender of the Peace, Marsilius of Padua develops new theories of representative government, rights, and ownership.

Democracy and the History of Philosophy

Peter muses on recent political events in light of the history of philosophy.

HoP 269 - Our Power is Real - The Clash of Church and State

Giles of Rome and Dante on the rival claims of the church and secular rulers.

HoP 268 - To Hell and Back - Dante Alighieri

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

HoP 267 - After Virtue - Marguerite Porete

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

HoP 266 - Tom Pink on the Will

A conversation with Tom Pink about medieval theories of freedom and action.

HoP 265 - Time of the Signs - the Fourteenth Century

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

HoP 264 - Giorgio Pini on Scotus on Knowledge

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

HoP 263 - One in a Million - Scotus on Universals and Individuals

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

HoP 262 - On Command - Scotus on Ethics

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

HoP 261 - To Will or Not to Will - Scotus on Freedom

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

HoP 260 - Once and for All - Scotus on Being

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

HoP 259 - Richard Cross on Philosophy and the Trinity

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

HoP 258 - Here Comes the Son - The Trinity and the Eucharist

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

HoP 257 - Martin Pickave on Henry of Ghent and Freedom

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

HoP 256 - Frequently Asked Questions - 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.

HoP 255 - Andreas Speer on Medieval Aesthetics

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

HoP 254 - Love, Reign Over Me - The Romance of the Rose

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

HoP 253 - Let Me Count the Ways - Speculative Grammar

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