The purpose of this thesis is to identify and discuss a problem in Peter Abelard's solution to the problem of universals. In Chapter 1, I present a brief account of Abelard's account of universals geared towards familiarizing the reader with the basic concepts and terminology involved in his solution In Chapter 2, I identify the problem I perceive with this account; namely that Abelard seems to be committed to two, incompatible, positions as regards whether or not it is possible for human beings to acquire knowledge of natures. In Chapter 3, I will examine the passages where Abelard addresses this tension. As we will see, he provides no satisfactory solution to this problem. At the end of Chapter 3, I will also examine the work of Peter King who, in his highly influential Ph.D thesis, suggests a reading of certain passages in Abelard that he thinks solves our problem. I will argue, however, that King's solution cannot be accepted as it relies on a mistaken translation of Abelard's Latin such that it misconstrues the passages King cites as evidence for his view.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/28498 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Leroy, Warren |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 66 p. |
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