Aquinasvs.BuridanontheSoul
Phil7090–2012Spring
12:00pm-2:00pmT
CollinsHallConferenceRoom
GyulaKlima
Office:109CollinsHall
Phone:(718)817-3286
Thiscoursewillcompareandcontrast therespective“philosophiesofmind”ofthemod- eraterealistThomasAquinas(ca.1225-1274)and the nominalistJohnBuridan(ca. 1300-
1361).SinceBuridanknew,understood andrespected,butrespectfully disagreedwith, Aquinas’doctrine,the discussionswillfocusespeciallyonBuridan’sdeviationsfromand criticismsofAquinas’characteristicthesesandargumentsconcerningtheAristotelian doctrineofthesoul(suchastheunityofsubstantialforms,thedistinctionofthepowers ofthesoul,theco-formalityofobjectandsubjectinintentionalreception, theroleofin- telligible species in concept formation, the provability of the immateriality of the intellect,etc.)tofindoutexactlywhereBuridan’snominalistAristotelianismpartscom- panywithAquinas’consistenthylomorphism,whyitdoesso,andwhetherwithgood reason.WeshallalsodiscusshowBuridan’s ideasprepared thegroundformanyrecalci- trant dilemmasofmodern philosophiesofmind, quitejustifiably invalidatedbyAquinas’ approach(dualismvs.materialism;freedomvs.determinism;representationalismvs.di-
rect
realism;externalismvs.internalism,etc.).Thebasictextsusedwill
beAquinas’
“QuestionsontheSoul”and“Commentaryon Aristotle’sDeAnima”,andthecriticaltext andEnglishtranslationofbooksIIandIIIofBuridan’s“QuestionsonAristotle’sDeAn- ima”,beingpreparedbyaninternationalteamdirectedbymeintheframeworkofan NEH-funded project(formoreinfo,see:http://buridanica.org).Whilefocusingprimarily onthephilosophicalcontent,thecoursewillalso offer opportunitiesforstudentstoexpe- rienceinpracticetheworkinvolvedinthepreparationofacriticaltextandtranslation.
Readings
Buridan’scritical Latintextandthemanuscripts(!)alongwiththeirEnglishtranslationsandap]
RecommendedReadings:
Buridan,J.:SummulaedeDialectica,Yale,2001,ISBN0]300]08425]0
Klima,G.:JohnBuidan,Oxford,2009,ISBN978]0]19]517623]0
Panaccio,C.:OckhamonConcepts,Ashgate,2004,ISBN0]7546]3228]8
Thijssen,J. M.M.H.– Zupko,J.(Eds.),Brill,2000,ISBN:9789004115149
Zupko,J.:JohnBuridan,NotreDame,2003,ISBN0]268]03255]6
