Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) by Anthony Kenny (PDF)

Description

Sir Anthony Kenny continues his magisterial new history of Western philosophy with a fascinating guide through more than a millennium of thought from 400 AD onwards, charting the story of philosophy from the founders of Christian and Islamic thought through to the Renaissance. The middle ages saw a great flourishing of philosophy, and the intellectual endeavour of the era reaches its climax in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with the systems of the great schoolmen such as Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus. Specially written for a broad popular readership, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny’s lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Dr. Kenny is the Copelston for the new generation. Kenny’s attempt to put the history of Western Phil. into four volumes (about 1100 pages) is probably good enough. The organization of volume 2 is very good: roughly 100 pages of history and another 180 pages organized by major topics. This should work well for the reader who has little or no background in Medieval European philosophy. All the prime suspects are given time in the text, even some to the lesser knows get space: Eriugena, John of Mirecouts, & St. Bernard. Kenny’s topical review is balanced and does make an effort to bring up uncomfortable topics. Kenny’s explanation of Aquinas on property is absolutely correct. Aquinas states explicitly that taking the property of others is NOT a sin when taken out of need. Kenny reminds us of what genuine Christianity is about.However, Kenny does sometimes need to make connections to Frege, Wittgenstein or Russell, none of which is likely helpful to undergraduate students of philosophy. And although I might have congratulated Kenny for his inclusion of Hypathia (he does give a proper overview of what little is known of her life and work) IF he had NOT chosen to illustrate her through the use of a 19th NUDE painting. His illustrations of Augustine, Boethius, Ockham, Duns Scotus, & Averoes all seem to have found some way to put clothing on, but not Hypatia, who is depicted as a victim rather than a scholar. Sexism in philosophy has a long history and Kenny’s book is only one small part of it.

⭐No problems

⭐Just like the first volume I’ve enjoyed reading this work on Medieval Philosophy. For a casual student of philosophy this is probablyas light an introduction as can be imagined. Anything less and it would miss out on a lot of important details. Butit’s a good book to start your studies in philosophy and follow up with something a bit more in-depth.

⭐The book expounds the main ideas of the medieval thinkers with great clarity and a pleasing lightness of touch. The book is not only a pleasure to read but to hold and look at. Author and publisher have both done an excellent job.

⭐I like everything about this book. The time that it took to arrive and it has really helped me a lot in class.

⭐This fine book, the second volume in Kenny’s A New History of Western Philosophy, provides an overview of the major figures and issues in the philosophy of the European Middle Ages. Kenny takes an “intellectual history” approach in the opening section to provide necessary historical context and biographical information on the major figures he will be discussing. In the longer second part of the book, he turns to philosophical issues per se, tackling, in turn, “Logic and Language,” “Knowledge,” “Physics,” “Metaphysics,” “Mind and Soul,” “Ethics,” and “God.” Kenny organizes this discussion around a who’s who of the major medieval philosophers, including Augustine, Boethius, Avicenna, Anselm, Abelard, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham. The chapters on ethics and God, topics so important in the Christian philosophical matrix of the Middle Ages, are very good, but it is the chapter on logic and language that stood out to me as being particularly interesting–Kenny highlights the ways in which medieval thinkers were anticipating issues in the philosophy of language that have been very hot topics among philosophers of the last century.Kenny’s book will be useful to anyone with a more-than-casual interest in philosophy or in medieval intellectual history. It may prove too difficult for absolute beginners with no philosophical background. Non-specialist academics and students, among others, will relish the book both for the helpfulness of its content and for the charm and grace of Kenny’s writing.

⭐A good introductory survey of philosophical topics as they were treated by various medieval thinkers throughout the entire period, from late antiquity and the commentators of Aristotle, to the inception of the humanists. The survey combines what is properly called intellectual history and philosophy proper. The historical aspect is kept to a minimum (as it ought to be in a philosophy book) without sacrificing salient features of the historical context in which the topic under discussion occurred. The philosophy, on the other hand, is more developed and Kenny has an emphasis on concept explanation, as opposed to explicating arguments; though he does do both at times.This includes the following topics: God, Mind and Soul, Logic and Language, Knowledge, Physics, Metaphysics, Ethics, as well as an excellent treatment of philosophy and religious belief from Augustine to Maimonides,and scholasticism from the twelfth century renaissance (Abelard and the ‘nominales’ school) to the so-called renaissance proper (roughly 1360-1550), at which point scholasticism began to give way to the new schoolman, the humanists.Kenny is especially good at explaining the intellectual current of a given period and how such a current has bearing on the topic at hand, this is particularly seen in his discussion of physics. As such, the historical context of each topic and its subsequent development is presented thoroughly but briefly; however, little attention is given to the explication of any particular thinker’s arguments on any given topics. For that reason, you will find little critical analysis of the particular arguments presented.All in all it’s an excellent work, written clearly and informatively, by a very capable philosopher. It’s a good introduction for undergraduates at the freshman and sophomore level. But if you’ve had more than a survey course in medieval philosophy, you need something with a bit more depth.

⭐Very clear and, as far as I can judge, comprehensive.

⭐I am very pleased with this book it is in great condition and it was very reasonably priced. Thank you

Keywords

Free Download Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) in PDF format
Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) PDF Free Download
Download Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) PDF Free
Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) PDF Free Download
Download Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2) PDF
Free Download Ebook Medieval Philosophy (A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 2)