PL 706 ADVANCED TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY THEORIES OF COGNITION Spring 2010

DAY / TIME : W 1:00 3:00 P.M. INSTRUCTOR : J.-L. SOLRE OFFICE : DEP. OF PHILOSOPHY, # 390 21 Campanella Way, 3rd Floor TEL : 2 - 4670 OFFICE HOURS : W 3:00 4:30 P.M. or by appointment solere@bc.edu EMAIL :

Course Description: How and what do we perceive? How does one form concepts? Who thinks? This class will offer the opportunity to examine central issues of medieval philosophy: sense perception, realism versus representationalism, the nature of the intellect, the process of abstraction, the identity of the cognitive subject. Curiously enough, regarding the latter question, it has long been believed that it was not the individual self only who was thinking. Through the study of some landmark thinkers, such as Avicenna, Averroes, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham, we will thus observe the apparition of the modern conceptions of the subject and of knowledge. The class is especially designed for giving graduate students a strong and in-depth presentation of an essential moment in the history of philosophy.

Requirements: Class participation; research paper.

Readings: Aristotle, De anima: a translation you already have or transl. R. D. Hicks, Cosimo Classics 2008, ISBN: 978-1605204321 (chap. 1-7 & 12 of book II and chap. 1-3 of book III to be read for the first class) John Duns Scotus, Philosophical Writings, Hackett 1993, ISBN 0-87220-018-3 J. McGinnis and D. C. Reisman, Classical Arabic Philosophy, Hackett 2007, ISBN 9780-87220-872-8 1

Thomas Aquinas, On Human Nature, Hackett 1999, ISBN 0-87220-454-5 William of Auvergne, The Soul. Medieval Philosophical Texts in Translation 37. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Marquette University Press, ISBN 0-87462-240-9 Photocopies will be provided for the other texts. Secondary literature will be posted on the Blackboard Vista site created for this course.

Classes Schedule

PART I: SENSIBLE KNOWLEDGE Jan 20 Class 1 Introduction Aristotle, De anima, bk II, chap. 1-7 & 12, bk III, chap. 1-3. Peter King, Rethinking representation in the Middle Ages (on Blackboard). Add.: V. Caston, Intentionality in Ancient philosophy, Aristotle and the problem of intentionality (both all on Blackboard). Jan. 27 Class 2 Avicenna: the standard medieval psychology Kitb al-Najt, Concerning The Soul, p. 24-40 (photocopy); The Cure, The Soul, in Classical Arabic Philosophy, p. 175-199 & 205-209. Add.: H. Wolfson, The internal senses (on Blackboard). Feb. 3 Class 3 Averroes: sensation and intentional being Middle Commentary on De Anima p. 60-68 & 90-107, Commentary on Sense and Sensation, p.5-21 (all photocopies). Add.: M. Tweedale, Representation in scholastic epistemology; C. Normore, Matter of thought (both on Blackboard). Feb. 10 Class 4 Roger Bacon : the materiality of species Selections from On the multiplication of species and the Optics (all photocopies). Add.: Y. Raizman, Bacon on species (on Blackboard).

Feb. 17 No class (instructor away for conference) Feb. 24 Class 5 Aquinas: the spirituality of species Commentary on De Anima, bk II, lect. 1-3 (in On Human Nature, p. 16-33); Summa Theologiae, Ia p., q. 75, q. 76 art. 3-5, q. 77, q.78 art. 1-4, q. 85 art. 1-3 (in On Human Nature, p. 60-95, 98-119 & 155-165); Summa Theologiae, Ia p., q. 14 art. 1-6, q. 15 art. 1-3 (photocopy); On Truth, q. 2 a. 2 (photocopy). Add.: M. Burnyeat: Aquinas on spiritual change in perception; A. Simmons, Explaining sense perception (both on Blackboard). March 10 Class 6 Aquinas: indirect realism? Contra Gentiles, I chap. 53, IV chap. 11; On The Power of God, q. 9 art. 5, p. 123-126; On Truth, q. 4 art. 1, p. 168-176; Commentary on the De Anima, p. 282-287, 300-308; Commentary on Aristotles Physics, p. 136-149 (all photocopies). R. Pasnau, Id quo cogitamus; D. Perler, Essentialism and direct realism (all on Blackboard). Add.: G. Klima, Tradition and Innovation in Medieval Theories of Mental Representation (on Blackboard). March 17 Class 7 William of Ockham, direct realism and intuitive cognition Reportatio bk II q. 15, p. 670-679; Epistemological problems (selections from Philosophical Writings), p. 18-32; Quodlibets, p. 72-74, 132-137, 257-259, 387-391 (all photocopies). Add.: S. Brower: Intuition, externalism, and direct reference in Ockham and Ockham on judgments, concepts, and the problem of intentionality; G. Klima: Is Ockham off the hook?; D. Perler, Things in the mind (all on Blackboard).

PART II: THE INTELLECT(S) March 24 Class 8 The distinction passive/active intellect Aristotle, De Anima, bk III, chap. 4-8. Selections from the commentaries of Alexander of Aphrodisias and Themistius (photocopies). Add.: P. King, The inner cathedral (on Blackboard). March 31 Class 9 The transcendence of the agent intellect Alfarabi, On the Intellect, in Classical Arabic Philosophy, pp. 68-78. Avicenna, The Cure, The Soul, ibid. pp. 199-205. Add.: P. King, The failure of Aristotelian psychology (on Blackboard). April 7 Class 10 The separated material intellect

Averroes, Long Commentary on the De Anima, in Classical Arabic Philosophy, pp. 335360. Siger of Brabant, On the intellective soul chap. 7 (photocopies). Add.: R. Taylor, Intelligibles in act in Averroes, Averroes philosophical conception of separate intellect and God (both on Blackboard). April 14 Class 11 William of Auvergne: discovering Avicennism The Soul, chap. 7 (pp. 423-498). Add.: R. Teske, "William of Auvergne's rejection of the Agent Intelligence" (on Blackboard). April 21 Class 12 Bonaventure: illumination and agent intellect Commentary on the Sentences, book 2, distinction 24 part 1, article 2, q. 4 (photocopies). Add.: T. Nejeschleba: Aquinas and the early Franciscan school April 28 Class 13 Aquinas on intellectual knowledge Commentary on De Anima, bk III, lect. 7-10 (in On Human Nature, p. 34-59); Summa Theol. Ia p., q. 76 art. 3-5, q. 79 art. 1-3 & 6-10, q. 84 art. 1-7, q. 87 art. 1-3, q. 88 art. 1-2 (in On Human Nature, p. 85-94, 120-154, 171-177 & 179-187); q. 54 art. 1-5, q. 86 art. 1 (photocopies). Add.: S. & J. Brower, Aquinas on representation; P. King, Ockham on concepts (both on Blackboard). May 5 Class 14 Aquinas against Averroes Summa Theol. Ia p., q. 76 art. 1-2, q. 79 art. 4-5 (in On Human Nature, p. 75-84, 126130). Add.: R. Taylor, Intellect as intrinsic formal cause, Intellect and intelligibles, Averroes epistemology and its critique by Aquinas (all on Blackboard). May 12 Class 15 Scotus Concerning human knowledge (selections from Philosophical Writings), pp. 97-132; Quodlibet, q. 15 (photocopies). Add.: D. Perler, Scotus and Aureol on intentional objects; R. Cross: Externalism in Scotuss cognitive psychology; P. King, Scotus on mental content (all on Blackboard).