As the author states in his Introduction, this is a short book (185 pages plus notes) not written for specialists. It provides an overview of the history of medieval philosophy and, in general terms, the main contributions by philosophers of the period for readers without previous knowledge of the subject. The book is a good general historical introduction. It does suffer in parts, however, from some imprecision of terms which can lead to confusion. The author refers, for instance, to St Thomas Aquinas’ vision of being as equivocal rather than analogical; and terms such as being and existence, and general and universal are at times used indistinctly. Such imprecisions make it less helpful for a student of philosophy or for a person wanting to understand the teachings of St Thomas Aquinas.
A.M. (2011)
Medieval Thought
Moral assessment:
Type: Thought
Nothing inappropriate.
Requires prior general knowledge of the subject.
Readers with knowledgeable about the subject matter.
Contains doctrinal errors of some importance.
Whilst not being explicitly against the faith, the general approach or its main points are ambiguous or opposed to the Church’s teachings.
Incompatible with Catholic doctrine.