History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

HoP 296 - Morning Star of the Reformation - John Wyclif

25 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

John Wyclif refutes nominalism and inspires the Lollard movement, which anticipated Reformation thought with its critique of the church.

HoP 295 - The Most Christian Doctor - Jean Gerson

11 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jean Gerson’s role in the political disputes of his day, the spread of lay devotion and affective mysticism, and the debate over the Romance of the ...

HoP 294 - Isabel Davis on Sexuality and Marriage in Chaucer

28 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter is joined by Isabel Davis to discuss marriage, sex and chastity in Chaucer, focusing on the Wife of Bath's speech.

HoP 293 - The Good Wife - Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages

14 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Medieval attitudes towards homosexuality, sex and chastity, and the status of women. Authors discussed include Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, and Chauce...

HoP 292 - Say it With Poetry - Chaucer and Langland

31 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Philosophical themes in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” and “Troilus and Criseyde,” as well as Langland’s “Piers Plowman.”

HoP 291 - Alle Maner of Thyng Shall be Welle - English Mysticism

17 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julian of Norwich’s Shewings and the Cloud of Unknowing lay out challenging paths to knowledge of, and union with, God.

HoP 290 - Martin Pickavé on Emotions in Medieval Philosophy

03 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Pickavé returns to the podcast to talk about theories of the emotions in Aquinas, Scotus and Wodeham.

HoP 289 - A Wing and a Prayer - Angels in Medieval Philosophy

19 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Be surprised by how many philosophical problems arise in connection with angels (how many can dance on the head of a pin is not one of them).

HoP 288 - Men in Black - The German Dominicans

05 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Dietrich of Freiberg, Berthold of Moosburg, John Tauler and Henry Suso explore Neoplatonism and mysticism.

HoP 287 - Down to the Ground - Meister Eckhart

22 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The scholastic and mystic Meister Eckhart sets out his daring speculations about God and humankind in both Latin and German.

HoP 286 - On the Money - Medieval Economic Theory

08 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Changing ideas about money, just price, and usury, up to the time of Buridan, Oresme, and Gregory of Rimini.

HoP 285 - Dominik Perler on Medieval Skepticism

24 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The medievals were too firm in their beliefs to entertain skeptical worries, right? Don't be so sure, as Peter learns from Dominik Perler.

HoP 284 - Seeing is Believing - Nicholas of Autrecourt’s Skeptical Challenge

13 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The debate between Nicholas of Autrecourt and John Buridan on whether it is possible to achieve certain knowledge.

HoP 283 - Jack Zupko on John Buridan

30 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Peter speaks to Jack Zupko about John Buridan's secular and parsimonious approach to philosophy.

HoP 282 - Portrait of the Artist - John Buridan

16 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The hipster’s choice for favorite scholastic, John Buridan, sets out a nominalist theory of knowledge and language, and explains the workings of fre...

HoP 281 - Monica Green on Medieval Medicine

02 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Monica Green reveals parallels between medicine and philosophy in the middle ages.

HoP 280 - Get to the Point - Fourteenth Century Physics

18 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ockham, Buridan, Oresme and Francis of Marchia explore infinity, continuity, atomism, and the impetus involved in motion.

HoP 279 - Quadrivial Pursuits - the Oxford Calculators

04 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Bradwardine and other thinkers based at Oxford make breakthroughs in physics by applying mathematics to motion.

HoP 278 - Sara Uckelman on Obligations

21 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Uckelman soundly defeats Peter in the medieval logical game of "obligations."

HoP 277 - Trivial Pursuits - Fourteenth Century Logic

07 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The scholastics discuss the ambiguity of terms, the nature of logical inference, and logical paradoxes, and play the game of “obligations.”

HoP 276 - Back to the Future - Foreknowledge and Predestination

23 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Scotus, Ockham, and Bradwardine ask how we can be free if God knows and chooses the things we will do in the future.

HoP 275 - Keeping it Real - Responses to Ockham

09 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Walter Burley flies the flag for realism against Ockham and other nominalists.

HoP 274 - Susan Brower-Toland on Ockham's Philosophy of Mind

26 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Susan Brower-Toland covering Ockham's views on cognition, consciousness, and memory.

HoP 273 - What Do You Think? - Ockham on Mental Language

12 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How the language of thought relates to spoken and written language, according to William of Ockham.

HoP 272 - A Close Shave - Ockham’s Nominalism

26 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ockham trims away the unnecessary entities posited by other scholastics.

HoP 271 - Do As You’re Told - Ockham on Ethics and Political Philosophy

12 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

William of Ockham on freedom of action and freedom of thought.

HoP 270 - Render unto Caesar - Marsilius of Padua

29 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In his book Defender of the Peace, Marsilius of Padua develops new theories of representative government, rights, and ownership.

Democracy and the History of Philosophy

21 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Peter muses on recent political events in light of the history of philosophy.

HoP 269 - Our Power is Real - The Clash of Church and State

15 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Giles of Rome and Dante on the rival claims of the church and secular rulers.

HoP 268 - To Hell and Back - Dante Alighieri

01 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Italy’s greatest poet Dante Alighieri was also a philosopher, as we learn from his Convivio and of course the Divine Comedy.

HoP 267 - After Virtue - Marguerite Porete

18 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Marguerite Porete is put to death for her exploration of the love of God, The Mirror of Simple Souls.

HoP 266 - Tom Pink on the Will

04 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation with Tom Pink about medieval theories of freedom and action.

HoP 265 - Time of the Signs - the Fourteenth Century

20 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An introduction to philosophy in the 14th century, focusing on two big ideas: nominalism and voluntarism.

HoP 264 - Giorgio Pini on Scotus on Knowledge

06 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Peter hears about Duns Scotus' epistemology from expert Giorgio Pini.

HoP 263 - One in a Million - Scotus on Universals and Individuals

23 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scotus explains how things can share a nature in common while being unique individuals.

HoP 262 - On Command - Scotus on Ethics

09 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scotus argues that morality is a matter of freely choosing to follow God’s freely issued commands.

HoP 261 - To Will or Not to Will - Scotus on Freedom

25 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scotus develops a novel theory of free will and, along the way, rethinks the notions of necessity and possibility.

HoP 260 - Once and for All - Scotus on Being

11 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Duns Scotus attacks the proposal of Aquinas and Henry of Ghent that being is subject to analogy.

HoP 259 - Richard Cross on Philosophy and the Trinity

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Medieval discussions of the Trinity charted new metaphysical territory, as we see in this interview with Richard Cross.

HoP 258 - Here Comes the Son - The Trinity and the Eucharist

17 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Philosophy is pushed to its limits to provide rational explanations of two Christian theological doctrines.

HoP 257 - Martin Pickave on Henry of Ghent and Freedom

03 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Martin Pickavé on voluntarism in Henry of Ghent.

HoP 256 - Frequently Asked Questions - Henry of Ghent

19 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Henry of Ghent, now little known but a leading scholastic in the late 13th century, makes influential proposals on all the debates of his time.

HoP 255 - Andreas Speer on Medieval Aesthetics

05 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Does medieval art tell us anything about medieval theories of aesthetics? Peter finds out from Andreas Speer.

HoP 254 - Love, Reign Over Me - The Romance of the Rose

22 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Sex, reason, and religion in Jean de Meun’s completion of an allegory of courtly love, the Roman de la Rose.

HoP 253 - Let Me Count the Ways - Speculative Grammar

08 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The “modistae” explore the links between language, the mind, and reality.

HoP 252 - Neverending Story - the Eternity of the World

24 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Aquinas, Bonaventure, and the so-called “Latin Averroists” take up the question of whether the universe has always existed, and settle once and fo...

HoP 251 - Masters of the University - “Latin Averroism"

10 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Did Siger of Brabant and Boethius of Dacia, who have been called “Latin Averroists” and “radical Aristotelians,” really embrace a doctrine of ...

HoP 250 - Q&A

27 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Peter answers listener questions on the nature of philosophy and the podcast series.

HoP 249 - Paris When it Sizzles - the Condemnations

13 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Two rounds of condemnations at Paris declare certain philosophical teachings as heretical. But what were the long term effects?

HoP 248 - Scott MacDonald on Aquinas

28 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scott MacDonald joins Peter to discuss Thomas Aquinas' views on human knowledge.

HoP 247 - Onward, Christian Soldiers - Just War Theory

14 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Aquinas follows medieval legal thinkers in defining the conditions under which war may be justified, and proposes his famous doctrine of double effect...

HoP 246 - What Pleases the Prince - The Rule of Law

31 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Natural law and political legitimacy in thirteenth century thinkers up to and including Thomas Aquinas.

HoP 245 - What Comes Naturally - Ethics in Albert and Aquinas

17 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Natural and supernatural virtue and happiness in Thomas Aquinas and his teacher, Albert the Great.

HoP 244 - Everybody Needs Some Body - Aquinas on Soul and Knowledge

03 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Aquinas makes controversial claims concerning the unity of the soul and the empirical basis of human knowledge.

HoP 243 - The Ox Heard Round the World - Thomas Aquinas

20 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

An introduction to Thomas Aquinas, his views on faith and reason, and his famous “five ways” of proving God’s existence.

HoP 242 - Therese Cory on Self-Awareness in Albert and Aquinas

06 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Therese Cory tells Peter what Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas thought about self-awareness.

HoP 241 - The Shadow Knows - Albert the Great’s Metaphysics

22 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Albert the Great’s theory of being and his attempt to explain what changes in the human mind when we come to see God in the afterlife.

HoP 240 - Animal, Vegetable, Mineral - Albert the Great’s Natural Philosophy

08 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Albert the Great earns his nickname “universal doctor” by devoting himself to the whole of nature, from geology and botany to the study of human n...

HoP 239 - Catarina Dutilh Novaes on Medieval Logic

25 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Was medieval logic "formal"? Peter finds out from Catarina Dutilh Novaes.

HoP 238 - Binding Arbitration - Robert Kilwardby

11 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Kilwardby is infamous for his ban on teaching certain philosophical ideas at Oxford, yet made contributions in logic and on the soul.

HoP 237 - Begin the Beguine - Hadewijch and Mechthild of Magdeburg

27 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Two Beguine authors, Hadewijch and Mechthild of Magdeburg, deploy the tropes of courtly love in vernacular writings about their mystical experiences.

Indian Philosophy Announcement!

19 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

New feed for Philosophy in India: http://hopwag2.podbean.com/feed/

HoP 236 - None for Me, Thanks - Franciscan Poverty

09 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bonaventure and Peter Olivi respond to critics of the Franciscan vow of poverty, in a debate which produced new ideas about economics and rights.

HoP 235 - Juhana Toivanen on Animals in Medieval Philosophy

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Medieval ideas about what animals do and do not have in common with humans, and how we should treat them.

HoP 234 - Your Attention Please - Peter Olivi

26 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Olivi proposes that awareness occurs not through passively being affected by things, but by actively paying attention to them.

HoP 233 - Stairway to Heaven - Bonaventure

19 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bonaventure argues that human knowledge depends on an illumination from God.

HoP 232 - Charles Burnett on Magic

12 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Burnett tells Peter about the role of magic in medieval intellectual life.

HoP 231 - Origin of Species - Roger Bacon

05 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Roger Bacon extols the power of science based on experience and uses a general theory of "species" to explain light and vision.

HoP 230 - A Light That Never Goes Out - Robert Grosseteste

28 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Translator, scientist and theologian Robert Grosseteste sheds light on the cosmos, human understanding, and the rainbow.

HoP 229 - Do the Right Thing - Thirteenth Century Ethics

21 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The scholastics explore Aristotle’s ethical teaching and the concept of moral conscience.

HoP 228 - It's All Good - The Transcendentals

14 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Philip the Chancellor introduces the transcendentals, a key idea in medieval metaphysics and aesthetics.

HoP 227 - Stayin’ Alive - Thirteenth Century Psychology

07 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

John Blund and William of Auvergne draw on Aristotle and Avicenna to argue that the soul is immaterial and immortal.

HoP 226 - Full of Potential - Thirteenth Century Physics

31 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Rufus and anonymous commentators on Aristotle explore the nature of motion, time, infinity and space.

HoP 225 - No Uncertain Terms - Thirteenth Century Logic

24 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The terminist logicians William of Sherwood and Peter of Spain classify the various ways that language can relate to the world.

HoP 224 - Kent Emery on Institutions of Learning

17 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kent Emery joins Peter to discuss the effects of monastic and university culture on medieval philosophy.

HoP 223 - Straw Men - The Rise of the Universities

10 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The emergence of universities in Paris, Oxford, Bologna and elsewhere provide the main setting for medieval philosophy in the 13th century and beyond.

HoP 222 - Rediscovery Channel - Translations into Latin

03 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Greek and Arabic sources are rendered into Latin in a translation movement that will revolutionize medieval philosophy.

HoP 221 - Leading Light - Hildegard of Bingen

26 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The life, visions, political intrigues and scientific interests of Hildegard of Bingen.

HoP 220 - Caroline Humfress on the Roots of Medieval Law

19 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion about Roman law and its reception in the medieval period, with ancient law expert Caroline Humfress.

HoP 219 - Law and Order - Gratian and Peter Lombard

12 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Gratian and Peter Lombard help bring scholasticism to maturity by systematizing law and theology.

HoP 218 - Two Swords - Early Medieval Political Philosophy

05 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The “Investiture Contest” between church and state and the first major work of medieval political philosophy, John of Salisbury’s Policraticus.

HoP 217 - Andrew Arlig on Parts and Wholes

28 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Arlig joins Peter to discuss medieval discussions of mereology (the study of parts and wholes).

HoP 216 - One of a Kind - Gilbert of Poitiers on Individuation

22 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Gilbert of Poitiers proposes a unique way to explain how each individual is the individual it is.

HoP 215 - The Medieval Podcasters

15 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, Peter chats with the hosts of the History of the Crusades, History of Byzantium, and British History podcasts.

HoP 214 - The Good Book - Philosophy of Nature

08 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As early medieval science blossoms, Bernard Silvestris and Alan of Lille personify Nature in their philosophical prose-poems.

HoP 213 - On the Shoulders of Giants - Philosophy at Chartres

27 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The controversial role of Chartres in the philosophical Renaissance of the twelfth century.

HoP 212 - Like Father, Like Son - Debating the Trinity

22 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Discussion, debate and denunciation of philosophical attempts to explain the Trinity in Abelard, Richard of St Victor and Bernard of Clairvaux.

HoP 211 - Learn Everything - the Victorines

15 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh of Saint Victor and other scholars of the same abbey combine secular learning with spirituality.

HoP 210 - John Marenbon on Peter Abelard

08 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

John Marenbon returns to the podcast to discuss Abelard's views on necessity and freedom..

HoP 209 - It’s the Thought that Counts - Abelard’s Ethics

01 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Abelard sets out an innovative ethical theory that identifies intentions as the core of moral life.

HoP 208 - Get Thee to a Nunnery - Heloise and Abelard

25 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Abelard and Heloise prove themselves to be fascinating thinkers as well as star-crossed lovers.

HoP 207 - All or Nothing - The Problem of Universals

18 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Abelard and other logicians of the 12th century argue over the status of universals: are they words or things?

HoP 206 - Eileen Sweeney on Anselm

11 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Anselm expert Eileen Sweeney discusses his approach to philosophy and the devotional aspect of his works.

HoP 205 - Somebody's Perfect - Anselm's Ontological Argument

04 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The most famous argument in medieval philosophy is Anselm's proof of God's existence. But how is it supposed to work?

HoP 204 - A Canterbury Tale - Anselm's Life and Works

28 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Anselm offers more than his famous ontological argument, including a subtle account of human freedom.

HoP 203 - Virgin Territory - Peter Damian on Changing the Past

21 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Damian takes up a question with surprising philosophical implications: can God restore virginity to a woman who has lost it?

HoP 202 - Philosophers Anonymous - the Roots of Scholasticism

13 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Little-known authors prepare the way for scholasticism with glosses on logic, metaphysical debate, and a poem about a cat.

HoP 201 - Stephen Gersh on Medieval Platonism

05 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Gersh (who was Peter's doctoral advisor!) joins him to discuss the sources and influence of Platonism in the Middle Ages.

HoP 200 - Jill Kraye and John Marenbon on Medieval Philosophy

29 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate reaching episode 200 with a special double interview on the problem of defining medieval philosophy.

HoP 199 - Much Ado About Nothing - Eriugena's Periphyseon

22 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Eriugena delves into the Greek tradition to produce his masterpiece of metaphysics and theology, the Periphyseon.