PHIL31160 The Medieval Mind

Academic Year 2024/2025

The Middle Ages in general, and medieval thought in particular, are little known because of the many clichés that have been attached to them: the Dark Ages, the hold of dogmatism over rationality, gullible and superstitious faith, and censorship of reason. In reality, these clichés show how little we know about a period that covers the longest and most diverse period in the history of philosophy. From the fifth century (with Boethius, but we should start with his contemporary Proclus) to the sixteenth century (at the very beginning of modernity), this period in the history of thought includes not only authors active in the Latin West, but also authors writing in Arabic, Hebrew, Georgian and Greek in the lands of Islam, Judaism and Christianity (East and West).
This module proposes to make very precise cross-sections by taking as its object of study the central metaphysical questions (such as causality, being, time and eternity, etc.) debated during this period. These questions will enable us not only to become acquainted with a little-known way of thinking, but also to familiarise ourselves with or remind ourselves of issues specific to the ancient traditions of Aristotelianism, Platonism, Stoicism and Epicureanism. Indeed, all the thinkers of what we call the Middle Ages, regardless of their own language and tradition, had a good knowledge of ancient thought. We will therefore be 'compelled' by the texts and problems we are studying to appropriate or revise much more than 'the medieval mind'.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

ASSIMILATE concepts from various cultures and traditions

CRITICALLY ENGAGE with themes that have shaped seminal philosophical and theological views

DISCOVER the unexpected diversity and depth of philosophical topics from past centuries

READ fundamental, yet unduly ignored texts

WRITE well-structured essays

Indicative Module Content:

This academic year, the module proposes to study two key figures in thought: the first great thinker of Irish origin, John Scottus Eriugena (it would be several centuries before a second thinker of his stature was born in Ireland: George Berkeley); and the central figure of Scholasticism, Thomas Aquinas. These two authors were chosen not only because of their conceptual originality (in fact, they greatly innovated the philosophical tradition inherited from Antiquity), but also because they shared the same concern to address the pressing questions of their time in a very modern (or contemporary) way. Indeed, both developed and applied a dialectical approach to thought, starting from an analysis of the vocabulary used and the rigour of logic, while dealing with themes as subtle as negative theology, creation, the distinction between being and essence, and so on.
The first part of the course will be devoted to studying the major concepts in the thought of John Scottus Eriugena, such as nature, creation, primordial causes, procession and return, necessity and contingency, and predestination. The second part of the course will be devoted to studying the most famous aspects of Thomas Aquinas's philosophy: the impossibility of demonstrating the creation of the world (anticipating Kant's position) and the famous five ways demonstrating the existence of God (or rather: of a God).

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Autonomous Student Learning

200
Total

232
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Reading: an essential component of this module is *reading* and interpreting philosophical texts. Explaining and understanding seminal works is a necessary step to assimilate concepts and stimulate a solid and creative, personal thinking. Students will have to read between 2 to 5 pages every week.

Group projects: students learn when discussing and even contradicting one another. Collaborative work is also an effective way to negotiate or accommodate different opinions. Small groups will be encouraged to discuss in class various problems on the themes analyzed.

Essays: writing remains the most relevant way to structure personal thoughts and also how to engage with primary and secondary bibliographies.

Also:
* at least four hours of class and tutorial will be devoted entirely to preparing the essays, so that students can give their all and do their best to achieve good marks

* tutorials will be devoted to an in-depth study of the texts (a few short fragments), and will focus on students' questions about these texts

* attendance and active participation in courses and tutorials are not compulsory, but they are an aspect that can be taken into account for the final grades
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
PHIL30990 - The Medieval Mind


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment(Including Essay): In weeks 6 and 12, students will be given a short sentence to comment upon. Each essay-commentary will count for 40% of the final mark and 20% will be represented by attendance and participation. n/a Graded No

80
Participation in Learning Activities: Each essay-commentary will count for 40% of the final mark and 20% will be represented by attendance and active participation in classes and tutorials. n/a Other No

20

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

One-on-one meetings with registered students in weeks 2 to 11 in order to identify problems of comprehension and enhance written / oral skills for the group project. Individual feedback in tutorials related to the group project in advance of the discussion/essay. Individual or group feedback on the essay within two weeks of the assignment.

The detailed playlist (with explanations) will be provided during the first lesson. It will then be posted on Brightspace. We will study the Irishman John Scottus Eriugena (arguably one of the most original thinkers in the history of philosophy) and Thomas Aquinas (an author so well-known and influential that his name is often cited as the quintessence of all premodern philosophy).

For an initial familiarisation with the themes and authors, we recommend the following titles available in the UCD library:

General introductions:
John Marenbon, Medieval Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2016.
Peter Adamson, Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction, OUP, 2015.

More specifically:
Primary sources:
John Scottus Eriugena, Periphyseon: The Division of Nature, transl. John O'Meara, Dumbarton Oaks, 2020 (first published in 1987).
Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae (Latin-English Edition), NovAntiqua, 2008.

Secondary bibliography:
John O'Meara, Eriugena, Oxford, 1988.
Pasquale Porro, Thomas Aquinas. A Historical and Political Profile, CUA, 2016