Idealism in Medieval Philosophy: The Case of Johannes Scottus Eriugena
Dermot Moran
In this article I wish to re-examine the vexed issue of possibility idealism in ancient and medieval philosophy with particular reference case Johannes Scottus Eriugena (c. 800–c. 877), Irish Neoplatonic Christian philosopher. Both Bernard Williams Myles Burnyeat have argued that never emerged (and for Burnyeat, could not emerged) as a genuine philosophical position antiquity, claim has had wide currency recent years, now constitutes something an orthodoxy.1. “Idealism Greek Philosophy: What Descartes Saw Berkeley Missed,” Philosophical Review 91 (1982): 3–40, repr. Godfrey Vesey, ed., Idealism—Past Present (Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1982), pp. 19–50. Hereafter essay will be cited version printed ed. Richard Sorabji (instancing Gregory Nyssa) Werner Beierwaltes (citing Proclus Eriugena), Eyjólfur Kjalar Emilsson (discussing Plotinus), on other hand, all is found tradition, tradition neglected by Burnyeat.Richard Sorabji, “Gregory Nyssa: The Origins Idealism,” Time, Creation Continuum. Theories Antiquity Early Middle Ages (London: Duckworth, 1983), 287–96; Beierwaltes, Denken des Einen. Studien zur neuplatonischen Philosophie ihrer Wirkungsgeschichte (Frankfurt: Klostermann, 1985). See also “Die Wiederentdeckung im Deutschen Idealismus,” Platonismus und Idealismus 1972), 188–201, his “Zur Eriugenas danach. Eine kurze, unsystematische Nachlese,” Eriugena. Grundzüge seines Denkens 1994), 313–330. Emilsson, “Cognition its Object,” Lloyd P. Gerson, Companion Plotinus 1996), 217–49, esp. 245–49. But see, Routledge, p. 227, n.3, who maintains idealist. Similarly, 1989 study, only was late classical philosophy, but ninth-century Carolingian philosopher presents striking example extremely radical, almost fantastical, idealism.Dermot Moran, Philosophy John A Study Idealism 1989). Of course, whole discussion depends entirely what meant ‘idealism’. uses Berkeley’s immaterialism standard idealism, it decision, coupled failure acknowledge legacy German which prevents him from seeing roots more broadly understood.
Medieval Philosophy and Theology|eCommons (Cornell University)