Basic Issues Medieval Philosophy [Paperback]

Tweedale (Author), Richard N. Bosley (Editor), Martin M. (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 1997 | ISBN-10: 1551110997 | ISBN-13: 978-1551110998 | Edition: 1

Two ideas govern the organization of this important new collection. First, the editors argue that medieval philosophy is best studied as an interactive discussion or debate between thinkers working on very much the same problems despite being often widely separated in time or locate. Second, they point out that these discussions were often as much with the philosophers of ancient Greece as they were with authors in the medieval period. With these principles in mind, Professors Bosley and Tweedale have chosen selections that show the process by which medieval philosophy operated as well as its content. Each of the book's nine sections opens with at least one selection from a classical philosopher, and there are many points at which the readings chosen refer to other works that the reader will also find in this collection. There is a very considerable amount of material from central figures such as Augustine, Abelard, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham, as well as some selections from outside the mainstream of Western Christendom. Each selection is prefaced by a brief introduction by the editors, providing some philosophical and religious background to help make the material more intelligible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Basic Issues in Medieval Philosophy' is unquestionably the best available textbook in the field...." -- Norman Kretzmann, Cornell University

About the Author

Richard Bosley and Martin Tweedale are both professors in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alberta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 679 pages
• Publisher: Broadview Press; 1 edition (April 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551110997
• ISBN-13: 978-1551110998
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection, April 30, 2000

By 

John DePoe (Iowa City, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Basic Issues Medieval Philosophy (Paperback)

I am currently using this book in my college course on Medieval philosophy, which is very interesting. The book is divided up by the major issues of Medieval philosophy, and is put in good reading order. For example, the editor will put selections from Aristotle and Plato at the beginning of a section, and follows that with Augustine's text. The editor sees that you view things in a progressive order. There are good notes to help guide through the thick reading, including a glossary of Medieval terms in the back. The text is almost completely primary sources. This is a good text to use if you have someone to explain Medieval philosophy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book if good professor., July 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Issues Medieval Philosophy (Paperback)

Basic Issues in Medieval Philosophy is anything but basic. Don't let the title fool you. What I do like about this book is that it is organized by topics so you can compare and contrast various philosophers. It also contains a glossary with explanations of certain terminology, but it is not very extensive. If you have never taken any philosophy before, you will find this book very, very, very hard to read, to the point where you will read a whole section and not understand a single thing. If you have a great professor who can make sense of the book for you, then you may understand the reading and learn how to interpret this text. It is written in English, but it is not the English we are accustomed to. However, there are a few philosophers in this book who are not as confusing as others and therefore can be read understandably. Medieval philosophy was my 3rd philosophy class and I had to suffer through this book trying to figure out what it was saying for hours. But on the other hand I had a terrible professor. So overall, I think this is an okay book. It contains interesting topics such as divine foreknowledge, free will and determinism, universals and particulars, contingency and necessity, virtue and reason, sin and sex. It is definitely good if you study this book in an upper-division course of Medieval Philosophy, but definitely not a lower-division.