The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy - (Scientific and Engineering Computation Series) by Etienne Gilson (Paperback)

About the Book

In this English translation of L'esprit de la philosophie médiévale, Etienne Gilson undertakes the task of defining the spirit of mediaeval philosophy as the most accurate expression of Christian philosophy.

Book Synopsis

In this book (a translation of his well-known work L'esprit de la philosophie medievale), Etienne Gilson undertakes the task of defining the spirit of mediaeval philosophy. Gilson asks whether we can form the concept of a Christian philosophy and whether mediaeval philosophy is not its most adequate historical expression. He maintains that the spirit of mediaeval philosophy is the spirit of Christianity penetrating the Greek tradition, working within it, and drawing out of it a certain view of the world that is specifically Christian. To support his hypothesis, Gilson examines mediaeval thought in its nascent state, at that precise point where the Judeo-Christian graft was inserted into the Hellenic tradition. Gilson's demonstration is primarily historical and occasionally theoretical in suggesting how doctrines that satisfied our predecessors for so many centuries may still be found conceivable today.

Review Quotes

"The conclusion of the whole matter is accurately expressed in the words of the author: 'the essential result of Christian philosophy is a deeply considered affirmation of a reality and goodness intrinsic in nature....' If many persons think this statement is too dogmatic, they can always examine the evidence by perusing the works of the great medieval philosophers. This book provides an admirable introduction to them." --Philosophical Review

"Gilson argued that the medieval biblical world view affected later historical philosophies, and his ideas are credible. Secular Renaissance philosophers replaced God with evolution, nature, or reason, but medieval Christian philosophers were the only ones who had a synthesis of history and an explanation for history." --Coffeeshopthinking

"In his The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy Etienne Gilson sets out to refute those who wish to keep Christian belief in a small corner. He asks the critic to please, just actually read the Bible and Christian theologians honestly, and the idea that Christian belief was never "philosophical" melts away." --A Stick in the Mud

"There is an immense amount to be learned from Gilson's book. Many readers will be grateful for this fine defence of the Franciscan school of Bonaventure and Duns Scotus, with its attempt at a synthesis of Augustine and Aristotle that is in some ways more attractive than the through-going Aristoteliansim of St. Thomas...but Gilson has always held, and there is much solid reason in his favour, that a history of modern thought should begin, not with the Italian Renaissance or Martin Luther, but with the thinkers of the fourteenth century." --Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review

"The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy is a text of tremendous value--perhaps most especially so in our own particular period in the history of philosophy. Gilson's book does more than merely overturn a few erroneous notions about mediaeval thinking; it works to remind its reader what it means to think and live within the structure of a metaphysical world-view." --Faith and Culture

About the Author

Etienne Gilson (1884 - 1978) was Professor of Mediaeval Philosophy at the Sorbonne in 1921, and from 1932 until his retirement in 1951, he held a similar chair at the Collège de France. From 1929 until his death, he was affiliated with the Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the University of Toronto.