Spirit of medieval philosophy

[L'esprit de la philosophie médiévale]
Year: 
1932
Public: 
Publisher: 
University of Notre Dame Press
Year of publication: 
1991
Pages: 
500
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.
Literary quality: 
Recommendable: 
Transmits values: 
Sexual content: 
Violent content: 
Vulgar or obscene language: 
Ideas that contradict Church teaching: 
The rating of the different categories comes from the opinion of Delibris' collaborators

Spirit of Medieval Philosophy contains some of Etienne Gilson's lectures on medieval philosophy and what he calls Christian philosophy. Although at first it may seem contradictory to speak of Christian philosophy, the author argues that it is possible. In fact, this philosophy has allowed great advances in thought in all areas of philosophy, which can be found in thinkers of modernity, beginning with Descartes and Kant. Progress has been possible above all thanks to the metaphysics of the Exodus (I am that I am), that is, the development of a metaphysics of being complementary to that of the Greeks. Gilson allows us to review the great themes of metaphysics: being, act and potency, form and matter, analogy, necessity....

In some passages the book assumes a metaphysical knowledge that perhaps not all readers have, which makes it a little difficult to understand. But in reality it is worth the effort and, if necessary, to quickly review the basics of metaphysics and philosophy to reach a better depth in the texts.

Author: Pierre Laffon de Mazières, France
Update on: May 2023