The Agent Intellect in Franciscan Philosophy from Alexander of Hales to Roger Marston

136 Pages·2016·6.04 MB·English

by  Margaret M. Curtin

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Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations
1942
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Margaret M. Curtin
Loyola University Chicago
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Copyright © 1942 Margaret M. Curtin
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THE AGENT INTELLECT IN FRANc1ioAN PHILOSOPHY
FROM ALEXANDER OF HALES
TO ROGER MARSTON ..
by
MARGARET lL CURTIN
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILL'MENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER
OF ARTS IN LOYOLA. UNIVERSITY
,August, 1942
.'
I
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VITA
:Margaret Mary Curtin was born in Chicago, Illi
nois, January 3, 1918. She receiTed her elementary
education at St. Agnes Grammar School, was graduated
fram Mercy High School in 1936, r~eived her certifi
cate in teaching fram Chicago Teachers' College in
1940, and campleted work for her B.E. degree in 1941.
She reoeived her Ph.B. degree fram Loyola University,
Chioago, in June, 1940. Since that time she has been
employed by Loyola University, first as an. assistant
and later as a fellow in the Department of Philosophy.
I
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page'
Chronologioal Table • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• i
1- .." 7
Introduotion. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ii
Chapter I - Alexander of Hales. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 1
.,..
Chapter II - Roger Bacon. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24
Chapter III - St. Bonaventure • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 37
Chapter IV - John Peokham • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 61
Chapter V - Roger Marston • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 85
Chapter VI - The Agent Intellect in Franciscan Philosophy • • • • • • 113
Bibliography. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 127
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CERONOLOGICAL TABLE
The follmving table of dates has been taken fram Maurice De Wulff s
Histoire ~~ medievale philosophie. Pag~8~cited with the names of the
Franciscans concerned refer to the pages on which the historical treatment
will be found in Mr. De Wulff s work.
1. Alexander of Hales. (pp. 104-111) 1170/80.1245.
2. Roger Baoon. (pp. 269-281) 1210/15-1292.
3. St. Bonaventure (pp. 112-125) 1221-1274.
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4. Roger Marston (pp. 240-3) a 1 epoque de ses etudes a Paris. 1269 and
1272; died 1303.
5. John Peokham (ppo 222-225). oiroa 1240-1292.
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INTRODUCTION
Franciscan philosophers take their pla?e in the history of philosophy
as adherents to the tradition established in Christian philosophy by st.
Augustine. 1 Their philosophy, Platonic and Neo-Platonio in inspiration,
draws its prinoiples from an Augustinian phiJ;osophy whioh. because of the
theology whioh guided the development of this philosophy and beoause of
the metaphysioal prinoiples whioh served as ancillary premisses to
theologioal-philosophical conolusions. Franoisoan philosophy differs from
the Aristotelian philosophy introduoed into the sohools of the West by
the Jews and the Arabs.
When Aristotelian philosophy was brought to the schools of the West
and was made to harmonize with Christian thought, a struggle between
Christian traditionalists and Christian 'innovators' ensued. The Franois"
oans knew that if tradition were to survive, it must cope successfully with
'innovative philosophy.' Now, maintaining 'the old' and refuting 'the new'
demanded of these men a familiarity with and a knowledge of the terms used
in both philosophies. As a result. there is in Franoisoan thought. as
lCf Maurioe De Vfulf, Histoire de la Philosophie M~dieval{, (J. Vrin, 'Paris,
1936), pp. 19-22. For an analysTS and description of Franoisoan doctrines
see chapitre troiseme # 7, p. 383 sq.
6
i
evidenced in the writings of Duns Scotus,2 a fusion of Augustinian
tradition with new opinions.
In the Arabian and Jewish interpretation. s of Aristotle, the schoolmen
1- ... ,
found matter for unending disoussions.3 Some problems, as presented in
Arabian and Jewish commentaries under the oloaking of Aristotelian terms,
such as the eternity of the world, were not c,nsonant with Catholic teach-
ing. Likewise there was a tendency to credit many new doctrines to the
poorly translated texts of Aristotle, and to make the texts susceptible of
many differing interpretations.4
This making susceptible of differing interpretations may be accomplished
in regard to the disputed texts of Aristotle's De Anima_ In this work, it
2Ibidem, p. 60: La philosophie de Scot, qui apparait dans les derni~res
annees du XIIIe si~cle, est issue dtun alliage de la tradition
francis caine avec un ensemble de vues nouvelles_ Elle clot cette brillante
'" ,
serie de systames.
~
3 Ibidem, p. 52: Dans l'interpr;tation de mainte theorie d'Aristote, les
philosophies arabes et juifs, principalement Avicenne et Averro~s, ont
a
servi des guides, et leurs cammentaires ont fourni mati~re dtinterminables
discussions.
4Ibidem, p. 53: Diverses causes ont motive ces sevefities de la censure
eccl~siastique. Dtabord les thtologiens st{meurent de oertaines doctrines
aristoteliciennes qui contredisent le dogme (p.ex. It'ternit~du monde),
des oammentaires arabes qui acoentuent ces theories sous le couvert d'
Aristote, de la tendanoe a rattacher toutes sortes de doctrines nouvelles
a
des textes mal traduits et susceptibles d'interpr{tations divergentes.
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is a question whether the agent intelleot is a faoulty of the human soul
or a being separated from the human soul essentially and substantially -
et substantiam -. It cannot b.e conclusively gathered from the
secundum~
,
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texts what Aristotle specifically means by the terms intellectus agens !!
possibilis. The texts leave some latitude so that a commentator is in a
position to offer various interpretations. Bit surely, such a procedure is
not so muoh the exaot statement of the Philosopher's meaning as it is the
interpretative meaning given to the srume words, (or at least to words
similarly spelled), by the commentator. For this reason, it is no surprise
to find philosopher reading Aristotle so as to conclude with the Psalmist:
Signatum lumen vultus super It is likewise no surprise
~ ~ ~,Domine.
to find them, in the guiding light of their own metaphysios, drawing varying
meanings from terms and propositions of Aristotle.
And so it is that the bringing of terms from one system of thought
to another, and the use of these terms in another metaphysics, in the effort
to adapt and conform, and, perhaps, thereby to save, and to harmonize these
with the writings of the saints--especially with the writings of St.
Augustine - has developed in the Franciscan school itself differing opinions.
The several meanings given to the Aristotelian term intellectus agens by the
Franoiscans account for the problem set forth in this paper, namely, is there
a common or a cammon treatment of the problem of the agent intellect
appro~ch
among the Franciscans?
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CHAPl'ER I
ALEXANDER OF HALES
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;;,
Alexander of Hales. the first Franciscan to occupy the chair of
philosophy at Paris. and the principal figure of a long line of theologian-
philosophers.l is credited with a workwhich.well could be called Summa
1finorum. or Franoisoan Summa.2 In this Summa. Hales has made use of nearly
all the philosophical works of Aristotle, but this does not prevent him
fram abandoning Aristotle on same important questions. Alexander reserves
a preponderant place for a number of Platonioand Augustinian theories.3
Alexander relies strongly upon st. Augustine for his metaphysical
theories and the philosophy developing fram them. This relianoe is
mentioned by
<,Jt.
IMaurioe de Wu1f. Histoire ~~ philosophie medi$vale. p. 20: Les premiers
maitres daminioains furent Roland de Cemone et Jean de S. Gilles; Ie prem
ier franoisoaine fut Alexandre de Hales.
Ibidem, p. 104: Alexandre de Ha1~s est Ie chef de file d'une longue serie
de theolgiens-philosophes qui enseignerent a l'universite(, en qualite de
titulaires d'une ohaire franoisoaine.
2Ibidem. p. 105: ••• et 1a oompilation insorite sous Ie nom d'A1exandre
put s'appeler la Summa Minorum, ou la Samme des franoisoains.
3Ibidem. p. 106: II utilise presque toute l'oeuvre philosophique d'Aris
tote, dont Ie or~dit, vers 1231, oammenoait ~ monter. et i1 n'a pas peu
contribuea son suooes deoisif. oe qui ne llemp$ohe pas de oritiquer Aris
tote. et de l'abandonner sur des questions importantes ••• En m~e temps.
il re'serve une plaoe preponderante '8. nambre de theories platonioiennes et
augustiniennes provenant de la soolastique du XlIe sieole. • •