Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was the outstanding philosopher-theologian of the Latin West between Augustine and the thirteenth century. As a public figure, especially as Archbishop of Canterbury, he corresponded with kings and nobles, popes and bishops, in letters that reveal a fascinating personality and flesh out the practical dimensions of his theoretical philosophy. He wrote at a time when a renewed interest in logic encouraged careful and rigorous
argumentation, but before the recovery of Aristotle filled the philosophical discourse with difficult technical jargon, making for writing that is unrivalled for its lucidity and accessibility. He offers the
first clear account of what we now call a libertarian view of free will, according to which free choices cannot be determined by the agent's internal states or by external influences. His famous 'ontological argument' for the existence of God continues to generate discussion, debate, and puzzlement. His understanding of God is rightly regarded as one of the definitive expressions of classical theism or perfect-being theology, which remains influential in philosophy of religion and analytic
theology. His account of the Atonement is one that every theologian to this day still grapples with.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press
contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was the outstanding philosopher-theologian of the Latin West between Augustine and the thirteenth century. As a public figure, especially as Archbishop of Canterbury, he corresponded with kings and nobles, popes and bishops, in letters that reveal a fascinating personality and flesh out the practical dimensions of his theoretical philosophy. He wrote at a time when a renewed interest in logic encouraged careful and rigorous
argumentation, but before the recovery of Aristotle filled the philosophical discourse with difficult technical jargon, making for writing that is unrivalled for its lucidity and accessibility. He offers the
first clear account of what we now call a libertarian view of free will, according to which free choices cannot be determined by the agent's internal states or by external influences. His famous 'ontological argument' for the existence of God continues to generate discussion, debate, and puzzlement. His understanding of God is rightly regarded as one of the definitive expressions of classical theism or perfect-being theology, which remains influential in philosophy of religion and analytic
theology. His account of the Atonement is one that every theologian to this day still grapples with.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press
contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Preface
List of Illustrations
Chronology
1: Anselm's life, works, and contexts
2: Looking at God
3: Looking for God
4: How things got started
5: How things went wrong
6: The great restoration project
7: Living in the meantime
Further Reading
References
Thomas Williams is the Isabelle A. and Henry D. Martin Professor of
Medieval Philosophy at Georgetown University. He has published
widely on medieval philosophy and theology. He is co-author of
Anselm (2008), editor of The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Ethics
(2018) and The Cambridge Companion to Duns Scotus (2003), and
translator of Augustine: Confessions (2019), John Duns Scotus:
Selected Writings on Ethics (2017),
Thomas Aquinas: The Treatise on Happiness and Treatise on Human
Acts (2016), and Anselm: The Complete Treatises with Selected
Letters and Prayers and the Meditation on Human Redemption (2022).
The appeal of an investigation performed by means of the confined
domain of logica vetus is one of the most fascinating elements
offered by Anselm's theological and philosophical works...The
landscape of studies about Anselm of Aosta is now enriched by an
easy introduction to Doctor Magnificus's life and works by Thomas
Williams. The essay doesn't merely summarise Cantuariensis's main
theses but provides the status quaestionis on the most recent
interpretative approaches.
*Matteo Parente, Department of Humanities, University of Salerno,
Fisciano, Salerno, Italy, History of Philosophy & Logical
Analysis*
I appreciated very much the text on Anselm of Canterbury by Thomas
Williams. It is well structured, clearly written and covers all the
main issues about the work of Anselm. The references to some major
texts are given, as well as an essential bibliography on each
topic.
*Christian Brouwer, The Metascience*
Thomas Williams manages to channel the approachability of the
original in this beautifully balanced book. He presents Anselm's
thought as a network of ideas and invites the reader to explore
their interrelatedness.
*Rachel Cresswell, Modern Believing*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
