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The Shadow of Scotus: Philosophy and Faith in Pre-Reformation Scotland
In the period leading up to the Scottish Reformation, there was intense debate in Scotland over matters of faith. This probing study delves into the Pre-Reformation Scottish philosophers' understanding of the concepts of faith, and the relationship between will and intellect - questions which more than any other characterized philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages.
From John Duns Scotus (1266 - 1308), the greatest Scottish philosopher of his age, to his 15th and 16th century successors, John Ireland, John Mair of Haddington and George Lokert of Ayr, this book is the only comprehensive study of Scottish philosophy from the 12th to the 16th centuries, and proves that the Scottish Philosophical School began well before the Enlightenment.
From John Duns Scotus (1266 - 1308), the greatest Scottish philosopher of his age, to his 15th and 16th century successors, John Ireland, John Mair of Haddington and George Lokert of Ayr, this book is the only comprehensive study of Scottish philosophy from the 12th to the 16th centuries, and proves that the Scottish Philosophical School began well before the Enlightenment.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
5 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Broadie
29 books7 followersAlexander Broadie FRSE is a Scottish philosopher and emeritus professor of logic and rhetoric at Glasgow University. He writes on the Scottish philosophical tradition, chiefly the philosophy of the Pre-Reformation period, the 17th century, and the Enlightenment.
Broadie attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh (MA), Balliol College, Oxford (MLitt), and the University of Glasgow (PhD, DLitt). He was Henry Duncan prize lecturer in Scottish Studies, Royal Society of Edinburgh (1990 - 1993), and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 1991. As Gifford Lecturer in Natural Theology at Aberdeen University in 1994, he delivered a series of Lectures published under the title The Shadow of Scotus: Philosophy and Faith in Pre-Reformation Scotland (1995). Since demitting his professorship of logic and rhetoric at Glasgow University (held from 1994 to 2009) he has been honorary professorial research fellow there, mainly researching 17th-century Scottish philosophy.
In 2007 Broadie was awarded the degree of DUniv honoris causa by Blaise Pascal University at Clermont-Ferrand in recognition of his contribution to Franco-Scottish collaboration in the field of the history of philosophy.
Broadie's A History of Scottish Philosophy (2009) was named Saltire Society Scottish History Book of the Year. In July 2018 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society, and in 2020 was appointed honorary vice-president of the Saltire Society in recognition of his contribution to Scottish philosophy.
Broadie attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh (MA), Balliol College, Oxford (MLitt), and the University of Glasgow (PhD, DLitt). He was Henry Duncan prize lecturer in Scottish Studies, Royal Society of Edinburgh (1990 - 1993), and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 1991. As Gifford Lecturer in Natural Theology at Aberdeen University in 1994, he delivered a series of Lectures published under the title The Shadow of Scotus: Philosophy and Faith in Pre-Reformation Scotland (1995). Since demitting his professorship of logic and rhetoric at Glasgow University (held from 1994 to 2009) he has been honorary professorial research fellow there, mainly researching 17th-century Scottish philosophy.
In 2007 Broadie was awarded the degree of DUniv honoris causa by Blaise Pascal University at Clermont-Ferrand in recognition of his contribution to Franco-Scottish collaboration in the field of the history of philosophy.
Broadie's A History of Scottish Philosophy (2009) was named Saltire Society Scottish History Book of the Year. In July 2018 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society, and in 2020 was appointed honorary vice-president of the Saltire Society in recognition of his contribution to Scottish philosophy.
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November 17, 2024
Alexander Broadie has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 1991. As Gifford Lecturer in Natural Theology at Aberdeen University in 1994, he delivered a series of Lectures published under the title, “The Shadow of Scotus: Philosophy and Faith in Pre-Reformation Scotland.” The conflict between Faith and Reason is paramount in Broadie’s work. Bertrand Russell totally neglected medieval philosophy because it reflected Faith in search of Intellect. Broadie points out that Russell believed that 1+1= 2, and devoted 368 pages, to demonstrate that his Faith bore fruit.
Early Scottish thought: is heavily concerned with freedom of the will. Duns Scotus, the Subtle Doctor, attempted to thread the needle between Intellectualism and Voluntarism, and Realism and Nominalism, problems that echoed in the disputes between Hume and Reid. Broadie shows how the concept freedom of the will plays an important role in the system of Duns Scotus, and in the thought of some of Scotus' fifteenth and sixteenth century Scottish successors: most notably, John Mair (c. 1467-1550), George Lockert (c. 1485-1547), Gilbert Crab (c. 1485-1529), David Cranston (c. 1479-1512), and John Ireland (c. 1440-95).
Broadie’s logic with regard to free will is persuasive. Assent to propositions is multifarious: Assent can be evidentiary, i.e., tautological or based on sense perception; assent can be based on faith, sometimes informed by will, or, in some cases, assent is the result of opinion. Broadie references Anselm’s Ontological Argument to show that Faith and Will are intertwined.
This thin book is a tour de force. It is a demonstration of the philosophical vigor of Scottish philosophy.
Early Scottish thought: is heavily concerned with freedom of the will. Duns Scotus, the Subtle Doctor, attempted to thread the needle between Intellectualism and Voluntarism, and Realism and Nominalism, problems that echoed in the disputes between Hume and Reid. Broadie shows how the concept freedom of the will plays an important role in the system of Duns Scotus, and in the thought of some of Scotus' fifteenth and sixteenth century Scottish successors: most notably, John Mair (c. 1467-1550), George Lockert (c. 1485-1547), Gilbert Crab (c. 1485-1529), David Cranston (c. 1479-1512), and John Ireland (c. 1440-95).
Broadie’s logic with regard to free will is persuasive. Assent to propositions is multifarious: Assent can be evidentiary, i.e., tautological or based on sense perception; assent can be based on faith, sometimes informed by will, or, in some cases, assent is the result of opinion. Broadie references Anselm’s Ontological Argument to show that Faith and Will are intertwined.
This thin book is a tour de force. It is a demonstration of the philosophical vigor of Scottish philosophy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review