Medieval Philosophy II

Code:

FILO023

Acronym:

FMED2

Instance: 2017/2018 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Philosophy
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Philosophy

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
FILO	51	FILO - Study Plan	2	-	6	4

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

This course aims to strengthen the study the authors previously taught in the first semester, through the full (or partial) reading of selected philosophical works, focusing on the issue of will and its ramifications (knowledge and sensuality, choice, freedom, determinism, happiness, responsibility, evil, intemperance, action). Texts will be analysed taking into consideration the thought of the related authors and the period in which they were produced, with particular emphasis on the philosophical discussions they perpetuated or caused. Assuming that students read the texts beforehand, 3 to 6 classes will be assigned to each work/theme under study, depending on their length and difficulty. Reading the full texts on the core issues of medieval philosophical discussions is one way to further the general issues studied in the 1st semester. These readings will seek to integrate each work in the dynamics of the philosophical ideas the writer formulates or discusses, comparing it with those of other peer authors, in order to discuss the key moments and positions in the formulation of theories of will during the Middle Ages. We will seek to establish why these issues have persisted in modern and contemporary philosophy. Note: The literature included in this part of the programme is compulsory reading.

Learning outcomes and competences

To understand the philosophical problems related to the "will" in its historical context and in relation to contemporary thought. Present oral and in writing the philosophical positions of the authors studied.

Working method

Presencial

Program

THE WILL AND THE FREEDOM OF DECISION IN HUMAN ACTION 1.The problem of will in Augustine of Hippo A) The question of will in classical thought. The Patristics and the need for "will" as a human faculty. B) Augustine of Hippo: Position of will and freedom of human action: The City of God, Book V, chap. 8-11. The origins of the problem: the question about the origin of evil and the discussion on will and free will l: The dialogue about free will. Free will and Divine Grace. Anti-Pelagian and anti-Manichaeism in the medieval posterity of Augustine’s perspective. 2. Happiness, freedom and destiny in Boethius. The contradiction between divine foreknowledge and human freedom overcome by the theory of degrees of knowledge in Book V of the Consolation of Philosophy. 3. Divine omnipotence, predestination and free will ( VIII-XIII Century) Augustinian approach to the problem of will. Predetermination or human freedom? Godescalc, Hincmar, Johannes Scotus Eriugena (IX Century). Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvauxl, Abelard (11th-12th Centuries). 4. The question on will in the 13th and 14th centuries Man and knowledge in Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae, I, qq. 80-83). Unity of man: body and soul. The human act. Appetite, lust, desire, choice and liberty. The Franciscans (Bonaventure, Duns Scotus): Will moves by itself regardless of the intellect The challenge to Christian conceptions: intellectual happiness as the ultimate purpose of man in Aristotle and his Christian interpreters. The relationship between the intellect and the will. Will in the Parisian condemnation of 1277. Permanence and transformation of the problem (Henry of Ghent, Ockham).

Main Bibliography

DIHLE, Albrecht, The Theory of Will in Classical Antiquity, (Sather classical lectures, 48), University of California Press, Berkeley – Los Angeles 1982. DILMAN, Ilham, Free Will. An Historical and Philosophical Introduction, Routledge, London, 1999. LOTTIN, Odon, Psychologie et morale aux XIIe et XIIIe siècles, 6 vol., J. Duculot Editeur, Gembloux 1957 (2ª ed. vol. 1)-1960.PUTALLAZ, François-Xavier, Insolente liberté. Controverses et condamnations au XIIIe siècle, (Vestigia 15) Cerf — Editions universitaires de Fribourg, Paris — Fribourg 1995. SAARINEN, Risto, Weakness of the Will in Medieval Thought. From Augustine to Buridan, (Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelaters, 44) E.J. Brill, Leiden — Köln — New York 1994.

Mandatory literature

Dihle, Albrecht; The^theory of will in classical antiquity

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theory-practical classes (lectures, reading and discussion of texts). The different topics of the programme will be addressed in the texts of medieval authors and their interpretations. The selected texts will be read and commented in class. Students are required and encouraged to participate in class, by presenting research assignment

keywords

Humanities > Philosophy
Humanities > History > History of philosophy > Medieval philosophy

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Participação presencial	20,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	80,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Trabalho de investigação	30,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

In accordance with the Assessment Regulations in force.

Calculation formula of final grade

Exam mark rounded to the nearest whole mark. Or average of the exam mark plus any written assignments. Assessment only with paper anf final exam. The written assignments must comply with the criteria which will be handed out to those who are interested, also available on the subject’s webpage.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable

Classification improvement

According to the regulations in force.