Why Medieval Philosophy Matters: (Why Philosophy Matters)

Tackling the question of why medieval philosophy matters in the current age, Stephen Boulter issues a passionate and robust defence of this school in the history of ideas. He examines both familiar territory and neglected texts and thinkers whilst also asking the question of why, exactly, this matters or should matter to how we think now. Why Medieval Philosophy is also provides a introduction to medieval philosophy more generally exploring how this area of philosophy has been received, debated and, sometimes, dismissed in the history of philosophy.

Table of Contents:
preface Introduction Chapter 1. Medieval Philosophy and Common Sense Chapter 2. Medieval Philosophy and the Sciences Chapter 3. Medieval Philosophy and Methodology Chapter 4. What Philosophers Used to Know (The art of distinctions) Chapter 5. The Best Argument for the Existence of God (Scotus’ De Primo Principio) Chapter 6. Medieval Philosophy and the Problem of Western Disenchantment bibliography index

About the Author :
Stephen Boulter is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics, Oxford Brookes University, UK. He is author of The Rediscovery of Common Sense Philosophy (2007) and Metaphysics from a Biological Point of View (2013).

Review :
This volume is important for recognizing the value of medieval philosophy and its place in Western intellectual history. Scholarly yet accessible, the book will be embraced by both specialists and generalists, including those who wish to expand their interests beyond texts assigned in most introductory philosophy courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. Stephen Boulter’s book provides a cogent answer to the question of why medieval philosophy matters, by making the case that the scholastics had a distinctive and strong sense of their identity and utility within society as philosophers – a sense that has to some degree been forgotten in the modern era. The medievals saw themselves as usefully engaged in addressing important questions arising within the sciences and explored within society at large; their texts paradigmatically convey to the reader a sense of the value of philosophy and of the philosopher’s intellectual responsibilities and goals within society at large. The book will be a useful read for anyone, including those who might want to critically engage with its overall argument. This stimulating and highly original book makes a powerful case for the relevance of medieval philosophy to the methodology and content of contemporary natural sciences. It will be read with profit and great interest by all interested in medieval philosophy and its significance for the modern world.