
Lecture Description
The next theme that will occupy our attention in our studies of Aristotle involves his analysis of the ways we use language. In his concern about classification, he realized that it was important to clarify the application of terms as precisely as possible. Otherwise our classifications would likely become ambiguous or confusing.
To assist in this project, Aristotle identified three different ways in which we use langauage: univocal, equivocal, and analogical. Each of these represents an important and distinct manner in which terms are applied, and it is important to grasp these distinctions, both for understanding Aristotle, but also for understanding all attempts at human communication.
In the history of Christian thought, Aristotle's treatment of this topic has been quite important. The great theologian of the middle ages, Thomas Aquinas, applied Aristotle's principles to clarify the limits of human vocabulary when it comes to the problem of trying to describe God. We will return to this question later when we take up the thought of Thomas.
Course Index
- Introduction to the Major Themes of Philosophy
- The Ionian Philosophers
- The Italian Philosophers
- The Athenian Pluralists
- The Life and Times of Socrates
- Introduction to Plato
- Plato's World of the Forms
- Plato's Parable of the Cave
- Dualism in Plato
- Introduction to Aristotle
- Aristotle's Metaphysics
- Aristotle's Categories
- Aristotle's Theory of Language
- Aristotle's God
- The Epicureans
- Stoicism
- Philo of Alexandria
- The Christian Synthesis
- Early Christian Apologists
- Antiochan Christianity
- Alexandrian Christianity
- The Council of Nicaea
- Manichaeism
- Neo-Platonism
- The Life of Augustine
- Overview of Augustin's Thought
- Augustin's Epistemology
- Augustin's Epistemology (part 2)
- Augustin's Theory of Faith
- Augustin's Understanding of the Church
- The Pelagian Controversy
- The Pelagian Controversy (cont)
- The Pelagian Controversy (concl)
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Anselm's Cur Deus Homo
- Introduction to the Classical Synthesis
- The Classical Synthesis (part 2)
- Thomas Aquinas and the Five Ways
- Art, Philosophy, and the Renaissance
Course Description
This wide ranging course starts with the pre-Socratic philosophers of the ancient world, and traces the history of philosophical speculation across the ages up to the present. Included along the way is special attention to the greatest Christian thinkers in history, including Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and many others.