A History of Twelfth-Century Western Philosophy

Product Description
This is the first comprehensive study of the philosophical achievements of twelfth-century Western Europe. It is the collaboration of fifteen scholars whose detailed survey makes accessible the intellectual preoccupations of the period, with all texts cited in English translation throughout. After a discussion of the cultural context of twelfth-century speculation, and some of the main streams of thought - Platonic, Stoic, and Arabic - that quickened it, comes a characterisation of the new problems and perspectives of the period, in scientific inquiry, speculative grammar, and logic. This is followed by a closer examination of the distinctive features of some of the most innovative thinkers of the time, from Anselm and Abelard to the School of Chartres. A final section shows the impact of newly recovered works of Aristotle in the twelfth-century West.
Review
"...presents a very useful picture of the current state of scholarship in the areas it addresses. Most chapters are chock-full of useful summaries of scholarship, bibliographical material (much of it from the last twenty years), and indications of the work that remains to be done. These research tools are supplemented by a useful collection of bio-bibliographies, a general bibliography, an index of manuscripts, and a general index (containing both names and subjects)." Review of Metaphysics
Book Description
The period's problems and perspectives in scientific inquiry, speculative grammar and logic are highlighted in the first comprehensive international study of the philosophical achievements of the twelfth century.
About the Author
Dronke is Professor of Medieval Latin Literature in the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the British Academy.