Aug 15, 2026 · 54 min · 10 segments
In this episode I discuss the third volume of Copleston's remarkable History of Philosophy. I continue to examine the relationship between philosophy and theology, and take a bird's eye view of Late…
But a lot of this is initiated by the arrival of Aristotelianism, as I talked about in the last episode.
Eventually, philosophy started to meander away from its close attachment with theology.
I'm going to read this section here where he talks about the discovery of Aristotle in the West, where he says, quote, The assertion that the most important philosophical event in medieval philosophy was the discovery by the Christian West of the more or less complete works of Aristotle is an assertion which could, I think, be defended.
When the work of the translators of the 12th century and of the early part of the 13th made the thought of Aristotle available to the Christian thinkers of Western Europe, they were faced for the first time with what seemed to them a complete and inclusive rational system of philosophy.
which owed nothing, either to Jewish or to Christian revelation, since it was the work of a Greek philosopher.
Some of the attitudes adopted, varying from hostility, greater or less, to enthusiastic and rather uncritical acclamation, we have seen in the preceding volume.
He attempted to reconcile Aristotelianism and Christianity, not simply, of course, in order to avert the dangerous influence of a pagan thinker or to render him innocuous by utilizing him for apologetic purposes, but also because he sincerely believed that the Aristotelian philosophy was, in the main, true.
Had he not believed this, he would not have adopted philosophical positions, which, in the eyes of many contemporaries, appeared novel and suspicious.
But the point I want to make at the moment is this, that in adopting a definite attitude towards Aristotelianism, a 13th century thinker was, to all intents and purposes, adopting an attitude towards philosophy.
Looking on medieval philosophers, especially those of the 13th century as slavish adherents of Aristotle, they may not have seen that Aristotelianism really meant, at that time, philosophy itself.
Distinctions had already been drawn, it is true, between theology and philosophy, but it was the full appearance of Aristotelianism on the scene which showed the medievals the power and scope, as it were, of philosophy.
philosophy, under the guise of Aristotelianism, presented itself to their gaze as something which was not merely theoretically, but also in historical fact, independent of theology.
This being so, to adopt an attitude towards Aristotelianism was, in effect, to adopt an attitude not simply towards Aristotle as distinguished, for example, from Plato, of whom the Medievals really did not know very much, but rather towards philosophy, considered as an autonomous discipline.
If we regard in this light the different attitudes adopted towards Aristotle in the 13th century, one obtains a profounder understanding of the significance of those differences.
But a lot of this is initiated by the arrival of Aristotelianism, as I talked about in the last episode.
Eventually, philosophy started to meander away from its close attachment with theology.
I'm going to read this section here where he talks about the discovery of Aristotle in the West, where he says, quote, The assertion that the most important philosophical event in medieval philosophy was the discovery by the Christian West of the more or less complete works of Aristotle is an assertion which could, I think, be defended.
When the work of the translators of the 12th century and of the early part of the 13th made the thought of Aristotle available to the Christian thinkers of Western Europe, they were faced for the first time with what seemed to them a complete and inclusive rational system of philosophy.
which owed nothing, either to Jewish or to Christian revelation, since it was the work of a Greek philosopher.
Some of the attitudes adopted, varying from hostility, greater or less, to enthusiastic and rather uncritical acclamation, we have seen in the preceding volume.
He attempted to reconcile Aristotelianism and Christianity, not simply, of course, in order to avert the dangerous influence of a pagan thinker or to render him innocuous by utilizing him for apologetic purposes, but also because he sincerely believed that the Aristotelian philosophy was, in the main, true.
Had he not believed this, he would not have adopted philosophical positions, which, in the eyes of many contemporaries, appeared novel and suspicious.
But the point I want to make at the moment is this, that in adopting a definite attitude towards Aristotelianism, a 13th century thinker was, to all intents and purposes, adopting an attitude towards philosophy.
Looking on medieval philosophers, especially those of the 13th century as slavish adherents of Aristotle, they may not have seen that Aristotelianism really meant, at that time, philosophy itself.
Distinctions had already been drawn, it is true, between theology and philosophy, but it was the full appearance of Aristotelianism on the scene which showed the medievals the power and scope, as it were, of philosophy.
philosophy, under the guise of Aristotelianism, presented itself to their gaze as something which was not merely theoretically, but also in historical fact, independent of theology.
This being so, to adopt an attitude towards Aristotelianism was, in effect, to adopt an attitude not simply towards Aristotle as distinguished, for example, from Plato, of whom the Medievals really did not know very much, but rather towards philosophy, considered as an autonomous discipline.
If we regard in this light the different attitudes adopted towards Aristotle in the 13th century, one obtains a profounder understanding of the significance of those differences.
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