HIST-102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 51: Peter Abelard, William Of Champeaux, Ontological Argument
14 Oct 2020
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Anselm"s ontological argument proved thought provoking for most interlocutors. It was not the end of the story. The proof seemed to apply most directly to the god of the philosophers, rather than to god incarnate in or as jesus the messiah. For anselm, it was obvious that this was all the same god, as is clear from works like cur deus. In the 12th century, other thinkers in the latin christian world would go much further with their rationalizations. Peter abelard is a 12th century latin christian thinker who pushed the limits of the thinkable. As a student in paris, he rebelled against his platonist teacher, william de champeaux. Striking out on his own, he became a well-regarded and sought after parisian teacher in his own right. He produced works like the sic et non, which invited students to use their own reason to solve theological puzzles. Doing so risked being perceived as contradicting in biblical or conciliar orthodoxy.
