St. Thomas Aquinas’ exposition of the Liber de causis, one of the few extended commentaries on this influential work, has received much greater detailed attention during recent decades. Nonetheless, interpretations have diverged concerning how this Neoplatonic source was assimilated and refined by Aquinas. It is not only important to comprehend the originality of procedures and accomplishment of St. Thomas in relation to his work for the sake of historical precision. Equally important is the intention of both the author and his (...) commentator, which is to contribute to our grasp of reality in terms of fundamental metaphysical principles. (shrink)

This study of the antagonists of Cartesian thought in the Netherlands during Descartes' lifetime focuses principally on the reactions and criticisms of the Dutch Calvinist theologian, Gisbertu Voetius. It not only offers insights into cultural and intellectual aspects of seventeenth-century university life in the Low Countries, but also a detailed analysis of Calvinist theologians' utilization of Scholastic sources in order to confront the implications of Descartes' doctrines.

Particularly interesting among those concerning religion is Fernand Van Steenberghen's criticism of Etienne Gilson's occasional assertion that the existence of God may be the object of supernatural faith, since it is possible to believe and know in distinct ways. Van Steenberghen insists this is contradictory, since to believe God's existence on His testimony implies that one does not "know" this, and if one "knows" God's testimony one knows that God exists. Related to this issue is Georges Van Riet's clarification of (...) the notions of nature, supernature, religion, and culture. The last notion, taken subjectively and speaking loosely, refers commonly to the development of human powers according to virtue and is mediated by culture taken objectively. In turn, religion both as natural and supernatural can equally be termed cultural. As such, they constitute the superior level of subjective culture and permeate enculturation attained through education and traditions. (shrink)

The first two chapters examine Aristotle’s notion of existence and the allegation that he understood is to intrinsically involve ambiguity. Hintikka insists “that Aristotle may have been the only early philosopher who consciously considered the ambiguity thesis,” yet “he, too, rejected it”. Moreover, uncritical acceptance of the Frege-Russell view, which emphasizes inherent ambiguity in the is of predication, identity, existence, and class-inclusion in natural and most philosophical discourse, not only was unanticipated in any interesting manner by Kant, but has led (...) prominent scholars toward unhistorical interpretations of Plato and Aristotle. Hintikka’s engagement with analytic approaches lends authority to his judgment that “there is no simple way of expressing Aristotelian existential assumptions in a modern logical notation,” and that “ambiguity is relative to a semantical framework”. (shrink)

This work finds some inspiration in the investigations of the late Eric Vogelin, who insisted that the existence of history and man's existence within history result from man's articulation of his experience as ordered to the whole of being and its source. While Langan's enterprise does not explicitly rest on Vogelin's judgment in his Order and History that "God, man, world and society form a primordial community in being," it is within these speculative parameters that he works.

This volume of studies in honor of Arthur Hyman contains various investigations in philosophy, Halakha, and Kabbala. While several focus upon ethico-legal issues pertinent to rabbinic law, such as economic public policy in the Torah and Sabbath laws in the writings of Philo, four concentrate on Maimonides' understanding of metaphysics and knowledge of God.

This work appeared in German in 1999 although two chapters, “Some further clarifications of the Concept of Communicative Rationality” and “Richard Rorty’s Pragmatic Turn”, were included in the earlier translation of Pragmatics of Communication. New essays replace these and a new final reflection is supplied making this superbly translated tightly woven collection slightly distinct.

This valuable work, one of a very restricted number dedicated to the subject, is a revised version of a doctoral dissertation directed by Gerard Verbeke and submitted to the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven. It is meritorious not only for its sensitive appraisal of Dionysius's own doctrines and Aquinas's critical assimilation of them, but also because of the evident effort expended to present a global, yet accurate portrayal of Dionysius's principles and viae as developed by Aquinas.

Lindquist et al. assess the neural evidence for locationist versus psychological construction accounts of human emotion. A wealth of experimental and clinical investigations show that individual differences in emotion and personality influence emotion processing. These factors may also influence the brain's response to emotional stimuli. A synthesis of the relevant neuroimaging data must therefore take these factors into consideration.

This is the twentieth volume in this respected series on ancient philosophy that offers scholarly presentations on ancient speculators with comments on each by competent respondents.

Aristotle and Other Platonists is a remarkable work in terms of what is established and how its arguments are developed. Gerson’s meticulous and sensitive examinations of original texts of Plato and Ar-istotle, along with their central commentary traditions and more recent interpretations, offer nuanced insights into the intended meanings of each relevant text. Gerson attempts “ in part to achieve a richer understanding of Platonism by showing why Neoplatonists took Aristotle to be an authentic collaborator in its development and explication”. (...) He also endeavors to confirm that Aristotle was often “ actually analyzing the Platonic position and making it more precise, not refuting it,” and “ criticizing philosophers other than Plato or deviant versions of Platonism”. (shrink)

Close examinations of competing interpretations of Aquinas complement insistence on the profound coherence of Aquinas’s reflections without any caricature of his works as a manualist encyclopedia with ready responses to all questions. Yet the author firmly holds that one can adjudicate competing interpretations of major issues and indicates those he considers more certain or correct. Familiarity with virtually all “thomasian” interpretive genotypes is evidenced.

Peter of Bergomo, one of the first to attempt to compile an index and concordance of Aquinas's works, often noted apparent discrepancies between diverse texts. His entry for "accidens" is no exception since approximately ten percent of its divisions are prefaced by the familiar "oppositum videtur dicere." The reader is left with the task of determining whether Bergomo's notations concern only apparent contradictions or whether St. Thomas indeed made significant alterations in his understanding of the topic. Brown's portrayal of Aquinas's (...) texts in their specific contexts permits a nuanced interpretation of St. Thomas's diverse considerations of the being of accidents which avoids both of the aforementioned alternatives. (shrink)

This is a remarkably perceptive reflection on a central concern of one of the twentieth century’s greatest academic figures, Etienne Gilson. By integrating prior superb biographical presentations and immersing herself in Gilson’s major works, Murphy attempts to detail his evolving understanding of art in terms of his deepening concern with sources and his constant dialogical engagement with major intellectual personages at different phases of his career.