Week 1 Course Material

Course Slides and Readings

Before the first session, please read:

• The preface and section 14 of the entry "Aristotle" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Link to text here.

• The preface and sections 1.1-1.3.3; 2.2-2.3, 2.5-2.7 of the entry "Medieval Philosophy" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Link to text here.

Further Reading

Optional reading:

• A text from Aquinas's commentary on Boethius's De Trinitate, focusing on the underlined parts; link here.

Assignment

After the first session, write 300 words in response to one of the following:

1. Outline the reception of Aristotle's works from his death until the death of Aquinas, focusing on their reception into Latin.

2. Explain why Aristotle's thought was so controversial in the West in the early 13th century, only to become mandated in European universities a few decades later.

3. Outline the relationship, in terms of human understanding, between knowledge of God in himself, Revelation, and natural philosophical knowledge. Which of these types of knowledge did Aristotle have access to?

4. Taking into account the quotes in slides 11 and 18, what are some characteristics of speculative philosophy? Include in your answer the purpose of speculative philosophy as compared to other types of activities.

5. Offer an argument as to why we can defend certain doctrines of the Faith, even though they are beyond human reason, by employing the principle of non-contradiction. Make reference to Aquinas's phrase beginning with Idem enim contrariatur... (hint: search for this phrase on https://www.corpusthomisticum.org/it/index.age).