The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy

This book gives a great overview of the philosophical underpinnings of modern thought, as told from the perspective from a Neo-Thomist. Gilson is a master of his trade, as evinced by the fact that the book is very readable (at least for students of Philosophy!). In my lowly opinion, this is a definitive work that should be on every serious philosophy student's shelf, and it is a shame that no one is reprinting it at this time, so grab up all the available copies while you can!

What does it mean to speak of a Christian philosophy? That is a question that motivated Gilson's work. As a profoundly gifted scholar and historian of philosophy, Gilson was in a perfect position to raise this tendentious question.This is the first book by Gilson that I had the pleasure to read. Reading it now seven years later after much study of medieval philosophy, I might have a slightly different reaction. But perhaps this first impression will be more useful to the reader who is taking a summary view of the subject, as I was at that time. And, honestly, his thesis has been sustained by my own experience.In this volume Gilson steers a course between two extremes. The one extreme is to identify Christian philosophy with the Christian Faith. In this sense, Christian philosophy would mean nothing more than apologetics. There would be one Christian philosophy coterminous with the doctrines of the Church. The other extreme is say that there are only Christians who happen also to be philosophers. In this way would there be a great variety of Christian philosophies, but it is difficult to conceive how one could call any of them Christian. There would be no trace of the Christian influence in their writing or their thinking.Gilson maintains that there is indeed a legitimate sense in speaking of Christian philosophy, one that does not succumb to either extreme. This sense is in the spirit in which the inquiry is done, and it is good to recall that philosophy in its exact sense does not mean a body of doctrine, but a love of wisdom. While distinguishing natural wisdom from supernatural, Gilson maintains that Revelation does have a bearing on the practice of philosophy. Not only does it serve as a negative principle that eliminates hypotheses contrary to Faith, thus preserving it from error, but it also positively influences the choice of problems and the animating spirit of the philosophical inquiry.The examination of medieval European philosophy is the examination of a specifically Christian tradition of philosophy. It thus must be shown that the thinkers in this tradition, while having much latitude in their choice of problems and their solutions, are all together bound in a common inquiry and show a similar spirit.I think that Gilson accomplishes his task, and that his approach is instructive for those who lament a crushing uniformity of thought, but believe that the source of this uniformity lies in the profession of the Faith. Far from it. Medieval philosophy, for all its (justified) concerns with right thinking about revealed truth, exhibits a spectacular variety of perspectives and ways of thinking about the world around us. It is a period as rich, diverse, and innovative as any other. (If you want to explain the stultification of philosophy, look no farther than the modern university.)Gilson was one of the important thinkers of the 20th century and his work has had some lasting consequences. Perhaps more than any other, he is responsible

This work is Etienne Gilson's examination of Christian philosophy as it appeared in medieval times, especially as revealed in the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas. The main thesis for this book is that Christian philosophy is indeed a coherent concept and indeed prevailed in the middle ages. The book, a series of lectures given by Gilson, is divided into two halves. The first half deals with metaphysics and anthropology as seen from the Christian perspective (particularly questions concerning God and the concept of a person). The second half deals with the Christian noetic and ethics. The major Christian philosophers dealt with include especially St. Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, St. Augustine, Boethius, St. Bonaventure, and St. Anselm. The relationship (and possible conflict) between medieval Thomism and Augustinism is fully dealt with.In the first part of this book, the Christian metaphysics is expolored. In particular, God is taken to be Being itself, which is necessarily. Other beings are seen to be contigent. The glory of God as expressed in the work of St. Thomas Aquinas is examined. Finally, the idea of a Christian anthropology and Christian thinking about the person is dealt with.In the second half of this book, the Christian philosopher's explanation for how things come to be known is explained. Also, the proper objects of the intellect and love as known to the medieval scholastics is examined. In addition, the issue of free will and divine providence and their relations are dealt with. The author next explores Christian law and ethics as seen by the medievals. Finally, the notions of history and nature as experienced by the medieval Christian philosophers are discussed.In sum, this book constitutes an excellent introduction to Christian philosophy in the middle ages. Etienne Gilson is a Catholic scholar and has written on Thomas Aquinas and Descartes elsewhere. The book fully examines all the issues and makes a convincing argument for the existence of a Christian philosophy during the middle ages. Through the eyes of the medieval scholastic, man is given a vision of God that endures for all time!