The lectures this week introduce two New Urban Institutions - The Commune and The University.
Communes took many forms and thus defining them is difficult, but
broadly speaking, they were the established allegiances among the
citizens of a town for their mutual governance and benefit. They first
arose in the late 11th and early 12th centuries and became increasingly
popular after that. There was a strong concentration of them in central
northern Italy.
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| factional defensive towers in San Gimignano |
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The late 11th and early 12th centuries was also the time when the first
universities were established. The first university seems to have been
established at Bologna in 1088 and it was not until c.1150 that the
University of Paris first opened its doors, with Oxford opening shortly
later in c.1167.
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| meeting of doctors at the University of Paris |
The secondary reading for this week is taken from Edward Peters'
Europe and the Middle Ages
and deals with the cultural and historical changes associated with the
new University, while the primary material deals with one of the early
university's pin up boys, Peter Abelard and his misfortunes.
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| the tomb of Abelard and Heloise |
The Blog Question:
What does Peters mean when he says (p.267) that "Abelard himself adopted a modified nominalist position".
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when Peters refers to Abelard as a nominalist, he is referring to the school of philosophical thought which states that the nature of truth can only be discovered through the study of individual things and things which exist in a material form. At this time, one of the greatest theolological debates centred around the idea of truth, with the aforementioned nominalism, which came from aristotelian philosophy, which stated that the only things which can be called true are those which exist in the material world, and everything else is merely a human construction used to name and define them. The other side of this debate was the idea of realism, which came from the work of Plato, which stated than the only true reality existed in the mind of god, and the reality which we percieve is nothing more than a lesser form of the truth.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest debates in theological literature at the time was the debate between Nominalists and Universalists.
ReplyDeleteNominalism was the belief that only individual, physical things were real, and that collective terms and categories of things were merely cognitive abstractions. Universalists believed that categories and the like exist in the mind of God, and it was this divine knowledge that consisted true existence, and that individual, physical matters possessed an "inferior reality."
In their broadest senses of the terms, Nominalists believed that truth could only be discovered by the studying of individual, physical things and Universalists believed truth was rrived at by the "contemplation of universals."
- Dale
Nominalism and realism were based around the theory of universals, and were used to define the relationship between knowledge and God. Nominalists argue that in life there are only particulars, and that the study of these would reveal truth. They felt that particulars were created by the way we expressed our thoughts through language. Realists were more concerned with discovering the truth through the study of universals, the categories within which we place objects. Fundamentally they argue that particulars resemble each other because they share universals, and that these universals are created in the mind of god and are thus superior to any individual.
ReplyDeleteAbelard adopted a modified nominalist school of thought. He was essentially nominalist, however tweaked the theory to counter the protests met by realists. For example: he argued that universals existed, but only in the mind. There was no real, tangible universal. Abelard applied his theories to areas such as human personality. (E.g.-Evil is a universal thought shaped by society, knowledge and experiences –it does not physically exist but it exists in the human mind.)
Abelard’s modification shows he was a pioneer of philosophy, pushing and questioning traditional thought and introducing new ideas into the scholarly world. He learnt from masters then questioned their theories in his own work.
To be honest,I had difficulties understanding the concepts of nominalism and realism. From what I can gather the concept of nominalism relates to the discovery of 'truth' through studying the individual, physical objects that make up our world, and the idea of realism is concerned with looking at the universe as a whole while exploring the metaphysical. I wasnt sure how these schools of thought were relevant to education in the middle ages, nor how Abelard's view deviated from the established foundations of nominalism. If anyone feels like explaining it on a basic level feel free :)
ReplyDeletePeters, when referring to Abelard as adopting a "modified nominalist position", is examining the philosophical approach that Abelard had had to the world.
ReplyDeleteThe Nominalists looked at “individual items and material creation”, which contrasted the realist approach adopted by other theologians at that time. Realists had more of a universal approach to situations however as seen through Abelard’s works, in particular "Sic et Non" where he emphasises human intention and actions, it was a vision where the very foundation was to examine the minor details of the world.
Peters outlined that Abelard had outspoken ideas on theology, had taken religious vows and even embarked on a journey to plead his own case with the pope, all of which illuminate the perspective through which Abelard would have subscribed to 'nominalism', hence Peters' term "modified nominalism". As nominalists held that existence was based in the reality of material creation, Abelard would have had to adapt his religious beliefs to accommodate this view. His views supported 'individualism' and made human intention responsible for human failings or achievements, yet at the same time, he held religious beliefs that defied logical thought processes, such as the presence of Christ at the Eucharist. Abelard's works concerning ethics aligned him to the theories of Aristotle; human beings as moral agents who consent to an act of sin or virtue. Nonetheless, this was in some degree of conflict with the Church's theology, whereby God was the all-powerful creator.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon,
ReplyDeleteOne big question discussed at the time concerned the nature of the “universals” (generic terms to designate one concept). Two major vision were opposed : the nominalist and the realist. Nominalists see universals as purely created by human mind they are not real. So to understand reality, one need to study individuals. On the other hand, realists see universals as things based on reality, that exist and that you can see in each individual element of the of the group. So to understand reality, one need to study universals.
Abelard advocates a nominalist position, with a little bit of realism : he claims that universals are a created by the mind, they are the result of human capacity of abstraction. He also says that universals are also linked to reality in the sense that once they are created by the mind, universals reflect reality and become real for our minds (?).
Amandine
To refer to Abelard as a nominalist is to refer to him as a believer in the study of the individual physical components of the the world vs the universals view of the study of the universe as a method of discovering 'the truth'. Therefore Abelards 'modified' nominalst position incorporated components of the universals theory.
ReplyDeletePeters is commented on Abelard's philosophical beliefs. I found these concepts a bit confusing but my understanding is as follows. Whether to adopt realism or nominalism frameworks for philosophy and theology caused controversial debates from the eleventh century through to the fifteenth. The nominalist views stem from Aristotle's thoughts that not only is the individual is superior, it is the only real thing. The individuals thoughts are not substantial, they are only used as a figment of ones mind to try and class other physical things. Essentially they are not real. This is a more physical and materialistic approach.
ReplyDeleteA realist approach differs as it focuses on the 'real' as only being attainable in the mind of God. This is a Platonic approach. s these two frameworks stem from Aristotle and Plato's theories, it reminds me of the painting the school of Athens. Plato gestures upwards and Aristotle to the ground highlighting his Theory of Forms and a more empiricist view which focuses on the concrete.
By saying Abelard has a 'modified nomilistic view,' it's saying he does not agree with nomilism fully, but with a certain degree of realism. He is not sitting on the fence however; his views are predominately nomisilistic.
In saying that Abelard adopted a ‘modified nominalist position’, Peters is referring to the philosophical views that he (Abelard) had.
ReplyDeleteBy outlining the actions undertaken by Abelard (pleading his case with the pope, the taking of religious vows, etc), Peters shows the means through which he would have subscribed to ‘nominalism’. However, as Abelard’s views were slightly different to the nominalist belief (such as how he held religious beliefs that held no logical basis) – that existence was based in the reality of material creation – it was not quite accurate to say that Abelard took a traditional nominalistic approach.
Because Abelard did not completely agree with nominalism, but rather believed a variation of it, Peters referred to it as a ‘modified nominalist position’.
When Peters refers to Abelard as showing a modified nominalist position, he is illustrating the philosophical beliefs which Abelard had towards the world and spirituality. Nominalists examined more 'individual' ideas and focussed more on the smaller things, rather than the universal ideas shown my the realists. Seen in Abelard's nominal work 'Sic et Non', emphasises is the human element of life and the importance of human intentions and actions and how they affect us.It was a much more microscopic viewing of the world, in comparsion with the realists.
ReplyDeleteWhen Peters speaks of Abelard as having a 'modified nominalist approach', he is referring to his theological and philosophical outlook. Nominalism stated that truth was to be obtained through the study of individual and physical things whilst realism was the idea that truth only lay in the mind of God and this was the highest form of existence. Abelard adopted a mainly nominalist approach but he made concessions when it came to his belief in the existence of God. As Peters states this problem of universals was the hot topic of theology at the time of Abelard.
ReplyDeleteAbelard explored the philosophical field of nominalism by questioning the contradictory nature of sacred texts (an example of one of his texts dealing with contradiction is, of course, "Sic et Non"). Nominalism is the study of existence, where evidence of reality resides in tactile matter. Abelard alludes to this view in his "Historia Calamitatum" when he states: "nothing could be believed unless it was first understood", which, though referring to the wishes of his pupils at the time, also hints at the necessity of evidence in his own philosphical studies.
ReplyDeletePeters refers to Abelard as a "modified nominalist". Abelard's immersion in Christianity is probably what Peters is referring to here. Abelard's role as an Abbot, and his own enthusiastic devotion (again, I will draw from his "Historia Calamitatum", where he continually refers to his castration as an act of God, whereby he was warned of/released from his sins), displays a somewhat contrary view. Abelard, though a philosopher of nominalism, venerated a God for which little to no tactile evidence supports (although it must be admitted that 'evidence' of this sort does exist for Saints in the form of relics, the same cannot as easily be said for the actual God). Thus, it must have been a modified school of thought that Abelard explored.
When Peters discusses that “Abelard himself adopted a modified nominalist position”, he is referring to his philosophical and theological views which was at debate for a large amount of the Medieval Ages (1000-1400CE). The nominalist approach to life what that truth can be discovered only by the study of individual things and material creations while realism ideas believe that truth lay in the mind of God and that it was the largest form of existence. So, Abelard uses a predominantly nominalist approach to life while incorporating his strong belief in the reality of a God.
ReplyDeletePeter refers to Abelard's adopted a 'modified nominalist approach' as he, Abelard, incorporated views from both the nominalist and the realist schools of philosophy. Abelard was very quizzical in that he sought truth in with logic, but had faith in the lord, so his own philosophy had elements of both ideologies, as Peter calls it a ‘modified nominalist approach’.
ReplyDeleteA nominalist believes that only things you can touch are real and is somewhat a contrast of another philosophical theory call universalism which builds on the basis that god is more important then real things. Someone who has a modified nominalist view still believes in God but values the physical items .
ReplyDelete