PHGA 7072  Duns Scotus and Later Medieval Philosophy
Professor Giorgio Pini
Fall Semester 2006
Fridays, 3:00-5:00

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the thought of John Duns Scotus (1266-1308). The main focus will be on metaphysics and philosophical theology, but some aspects of Scotus’s theory of cognition and ethics will also be considered. The issues addressed will include the nature and structure of being, essence and individuation, the nature of possibility and its relationship to God’s power, intuitive and abstractive cognition, divine foreknowledge, the nature and extent of human and divine freedom, the motivations of human actions.

Scotus’s direct and indirect influence on modern thinkers (such as Descartes, Leibniz, and Peirce) is commonly recognized. His original approach and solution to a number of classical topics (including the nature of metaphysics, universals, individuation, possibility, God-talk, divine and human freedom, and the moral foundations of action) are still discussed, defended or criticized in contemporary philosophical and theological circles with either analytic or continental sympathies (e.g., Courtine, Milbank).

Notwithstanding the common recognition of Scotus’s importance and originality, knowledge of his thought is almost invariably second-hand. Outside of a restricted number of specialists, his writings are rarely read, mainly because of their alleged difficulty and technicality. As a result, Scotus is regularly mentioned in association with a few peculiar expressions (such as haecceity, univocity of being, formal distinction, intuitive cognition, synchronic contingency), but little else is known about him.

The objective of this seminar is to initiate the participants into Scotus’s thought by guiding them through some selections of Scotus’s own writings in order to enable them to assess the philosophical interest of his positions and the validity of his arguments. The texts will be considered in their philosophical and historical context. Some coverage of other late medieval thinkers (including Henry of Ghent and William Ockham) will be provided in order to get a clearer understanding of Scotus’s positions. The most important debates in contemporary scholarship will also be taken into account.

All the texts will be read in English translation. Most of them will be available in photocopies or on e-Res at the beginning of the seminar.