PL220 Medieval Philosophy

This course surveys the central problem areas of medieval philosophy. Medieval philosophy developed in Europe and the Middle East after the dissolution of ancient philosophy and before the rise of modern philosophy. The authors we will be reading span the thousand years between 400 and 1400. Although most of our discussion will focus on Augustine, Aquinas, and Ockham, we will also see how other medieval thinkers contributed to the development of Western thought.

Our goal in this course will be two-fold: first, to learn how some of the most important minds in history thought through philosophical problems; second, to think them through for ourselves. Our method will be analytic. By the end of the course you should be able to identify arguments, evaluate them, and construct supporting and counter-arguments of your own.