Medievalists Flashcards
What years does the middle ages incorporate?
About 1100-1600AD, but goes further back.
When were the dark ages?
600 AD onwards for the Western world, there are very little records. Much more from Islamic countries. Then ideas moved back into the west!
When did St Augustine live?
354-430 AD.
Describe the life of St Augustine.
Algerian, born to Christian mother and pagan father. Followed Manichaeism. Had an interesting life - many sexual partners and at least one son by a concubine. Later converted to Christianity.Wrote that sin is disordered love, and is inevitable.
What is Manichaeism?
A religion based on the writings of Mani primarily known for its striking dualism between light and dark (we are both, can do both). Souls are particles of light that have become trapped in a dark physical world
What is the sensible world?
World of senses - private and transitionary, governed by desire
What is the intelligible world?
Public, eternal. Humans can find unity and avoid transitory nature of sensible world
What is the soul?
From Greek tradition - what makes us living Immaterial and immortal
What is Augustine’s psychology of the soul and senses?
Cognitive capacity begins with senses and goes up to reason Hierachy of senses based on publicity - smell and taste at bottom, hearing and vision at top Inner sense collates and passes judgement on information acquired by other senses Reason above senses and inner sense
Origins and development of the soul - Augustine
Soul is given by God for the sake of God No isolated soul, only in relation with God Development of soul is to work out its identity with God Free to define soul without God but this will ultimately fail
What was St Augustine the first to do?
Use empirical observation of children and case studies to attempt to understand human nature.
What was St Augustine’s idea of the wilful child?
A baby begins to have wishes and communicates them - they get angry when they don’t get what they want, and cry. Children desire to control adults.
What was St Augustine’s idea of the sinful mind?
Everything is seen as a source of instant gratification. Anger, greed and jealousy are all important. Personality traits don’t actually change. Human nature is essentially sinful
What is key to St Augustine’s theory?
The idea of original sin - that we have no free will to abstain from sin except through God’s grace (hence the need for baptism, without which one can’t go to Heaven).
What did St Augustine think about Plato?
He was correct in that:• god is not anything material• all things have their being through god• god is immutable• perception is not a source of truth• the sensible world is inferior to the eternal• there are things that can be discovered by reason alone.All other knowledge, if it is to be true, must be based on religious writings.
What did Augustine introduce to understanding of motivation and behaviour?
Christian ideas of will (avoiding sin) and purpose (serving God)
What did Augustine believe about reason?
Reason should dominate baser urges Inner reason is more important than sensory impresssion for achieving an understanding of God and his creation.
When did Ibn Sina live?
980-1037 AD.
Where did Ibn Sina live?
Persia.
What were Ibn Sina’s most important works?
The book of healing - scientific encyclopaedia
The canon of medicine.
What did Ibn Sina’s work discuss?
Reason and reality.
What did Ibn Sina claim about God?
That God is pure intellect and that knowledge consists of the mind grasping the intelligible. Both reason and logic are required,