Minim and dictum. The Art of Reading Medieval Texts 3800-MD23-S

There is probably no other period in the history of philosophy whose image changed so intensively as in the case of the Middle Ages. For a long time, the thought of these times was known in only a few small fragments - such as the works of Anselm of Canterbury or Thomas Aquinas - while a large part of the philosophical achievements remained undiscovered. Today it is known that the legacy of this period is much richer and more interesting than could be expected, and the stereotype of the "dark ages" does not do it justice. Discoveries concerning the development of 12th-century logic and its various applications turned out to be particularly ground-breaking. The specific style of practicing philosophy at a time when the knowledge of Aristotle's metaphysics was very limited is still a barrier for contemporary researchers. As a result, the philosophers from 1150-1250 are absent from textbooks on the history of philosophy and the vast majority of cross-sectional studies. This is all the more striking as it is at this time that the first universities were established.
The proposed seminar aims to offer such tools that will enable self-discovery of this still quite mysterious period. The first barrier is the knowledge of Latin: participation in the classes will be fruitful only for those who already have a basic knowledge of this language. The second barrier is the scarcity of critical editions: many texts are still found only in medieval manuscripts. To remedy this problem, the seminar will be largely proactive. It will consist in learning Latin palaeography, i.e. training in deciphering abbreviations and conventional signs (brachygraphy).
Another barrier is the inherent problem of handwriting, namely the presence of numerous errors made by medieval scribes. To deal with it, one needs to know the rules governing critical editing of texts. Participants in the seminar will have the opportunity to learn how to compare manuscripts and how to note and interpret differences between them.
Finally, the last and often the most serious barrier to access to the philosophy of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries is the characteristic style and conceptual tools that medieval philosophers used. Mere knowledge of abbreviations is not enough to accurately read the text: one needs to know what content to expect. Such anticipation of content, although it may seem paradoxical, often turns out to be necessary. To this end, we will read and interpret selected short texts from the period 1150-1250. Their topics will be very different: they will cover issues belonging to logic, metaphysics, ethics, and theology. We will also learn about various literary forms: summae, quaestiones, sententiae, and commentaries.