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Title: Reason & Faith: Philosophy in the Middle Ages
Author: The Great Courses
Narrator: Professor Thomas Williams
Format: Original Recording
Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
Language: English
Release date: 07-08-13
Publisher: The Great Courses
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 70 votes
Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy
Publisher's Summary:
Today we tend to separate questions of logic from questions of belief, philosophy from religion, reason from faith. But for 1,000 years during a pivotal era of Western thought, reason and faith went hand-in-hand in the search for answers to the most profound issues investigated by Christianity's most committed scholars. In 24 ambitious lectures, Professor Williams examines the great Christian philosophers from Augustine to Ockham, following their efforts to illuminate the full scope of Christian doctrine using philosophical tools inherited, in large part, from the ancient Greeks.
Far from being a "dark" age, this was an era when faith was not blind and reason was not godless, when the great philosophers and the great theologians were the very same people, and no one saw anything surprising about that.
Building on the work of Plato and Aristotle, medieval philosophers worked diligently to show how the Christian faith is consistent with what can be demonstrated by reason, asking such questions as: Can God's existence and attributes be established by reason alone? Are there Christian doctrines that are beyond the scope of logical demonstration? How can Christian beliefs be defended and shown to be internally consistent?
During this extraordinarily rich period of intellectual ferment, philosophers participated in a common struggle with transcendent questions, using reasoning in the service of faith. This course serves as a fascinating philosophical backdrop to illuminate the stimulating debates that occupied many of the greatest minds of the era.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Members Reviews:
Professor Williams Blends Reason with History
If you could sum up Reason & Faith: Philosophy in the Middle Ages in three words, what would they be?
Organized, factual and informative.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Reason & Faith: Philosophy in the Middle Ages?
When Prof. Williams addressed the nature of Evil, he unleashed, in my mind, a new way of looking at things as they ought to be. By defining Evil as an absence of Goodness where Goodness ought to be, I thought of the light spectrum, where White is all colors and Black is no color at all. As different shades of light are removed from White it moves toward Black. Goodness works the same way demonstrating the continuity of the universe.
Which scene was your favorite?
Prof. Williams made a point that some philosophers participated in the quest for truth with a focus on the methods of reasoning rather than on the discovery of truth; it was more of a game than a search. Today there are many who employ philosophical reasoning in a quest to support a predetermined personal agenda much to the detriment of mankind's quest for truth.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
One point that bothers me still is the persecution of those who are truly in search of the truth. No single moment, unless it was chapters 5 and 6 with Boethius' Lady Philosophy dialogue about the fickleness of fortune, depicts the helplessness of the crusader in search of the truth.
Any additional comments?
The entire series of lectures puts the history of mankind's struggles with logical reasoning in perspective.
