Medieval philosophy focused on religious questions about faith and salvation. It was dominated by Christian theology and viewed God as the center of human life. Major questions dealt with the nature of faith and religion, whether faith is internal or religion external. Medieval philosophy blended Greek and Roman philosophical concepts with Christian religious teachings. It declined as the focus shifted during the Renaissance to more human-centered subjects and skepticism toward religious authority grew.

1. Medieval
Philosophy
Prepared by Raizza Corpuz

2. BIG QUESTION in MEDIEVAL
EPOCH
WHAT IS FAITH?
WHAT IS RELIGION?
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3. Faith is personal: INTERNAL, Within the power
of the “I”. It is both the cognitive and the
emotive. It is within the context of it and NOT
bound with QUANDARY.
BASIS
Religion: EXTERNAL: bound with the choice we
made. It can be change. It is structural and
functional.
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5. 2 views
FAITHFAITH RELIGIONRELIGION
MEME WEWE
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6. Medieval Philosophy
• Medieval philosophy is the
philosophy in the era now
known as medieval or the
Middle Ages, the period
roughly extending from the fall
of the Western Roma Empire
in the fifth century AD to the
Renaissance in the sixteenth
century
• Essentially “monotheistic”
• From a state of polytheism to a
belief in a one and only God.
• God here is the center of
man’s life Medieval philosophy is not to be
separated from theology
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7. Medieval Philosophy and the
Problem of Evil
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8. The Dark Ages
• The "Dark Ages" is a historical
period emphasizing the cultural
and economic deterioration that
occurred in Europe following the
decline of the Roma Empire.The
label employs traditional “light-
versus darkness” imagery to
contrast the "darkness" of the
period with earlier and later
periods of "light“ (Middle Age).
• The period is characterized by a
relative scarcity of historical and
other written records at least for
some areas of Europe, rendering it
obscure to historians. Petrarch conceived the idea of a European "Dark Age".
From Cycle of Famous Men and Women, c. 1450
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9. Middle Ages & Renaissance
Period
• Humanistic and devoted to history
• Christian theology were taken up by
intellectual leaders
• Humanism as the most significant aspect of
medieval philosophy
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10. Modern Philosophy
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11. The Age of RenaissanceThe Age of Renaissance
• In the 14th and 15thIn the 14th and 15th
centuries, "humanists“centuries, "humanists“
(individualists) celebrated(individualists) celebrated
the human race and itsthe human race and its
capacities.capacities.
• They argued they wereThey argued they were
worshipping God moreworshipping God more
appropriately than theappropriately than the
priests and monks whopriests and monks who
harped on original sin andharped on original sin and
asked people to humbleasked people to humble
themselves.themselves.
• Humanism (Secularism vs.Humanism (Secularism vs.
CatholicismCatholicism
The Beginning of the Modern Period
Renaissance philosophy" is used by intellectual
historians to refer to the thought of the period
running in Europe roughly between 1350 and
1650 (the dates shift forward for central and
northern Europe and for areas such as Spanish
America, India, Japan, and China under European
influence). It therefore overlaps both with late
medieval philosophy, which in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuriesRPC2013

12. Enlightenment Period and the Age of ReasonEnlightenment Period and the Age of Reason
• Basic Features of ModernBasic Features of Modern
PhilosophyPhilosophy
o the autonomy of reasonthe autonomy of reason
o perfectibility and progressperfectibility and progress
o confidence in the ability toconfidence in the ability to
discover causality (scientific/discover causality (scientific/
industrial revolution)industrial revolution)
o principles governing nature,principles governing nature,
man and societyman and society
o assault on authorityassault on authority
o cosmopolitan solidarity ofcosmopolitan solidarity of
enlightened intellectualsenlightened intellectuals
o a disgust with nationalism.a disgust with nationalism. Enlightenment Philosopers or the
Philosophes
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13. Factors that Lead to The IntellectualFactors that Lead to The Intellectual
Transformation of the West (Enlightenment)Transformation of the West (Enlightenment)
• Challenged Church AuthorityChallenged Church Authority
• Scientific RevolutionScientific Revolution
• Moral RelativismMoral Relativism
• The Black DeathThe Black Death
• Skepticism (Cartesianism)Skepticism (Cartesianism)
• Economic, Political and SocialEconomic, Political and Social
ChangeChange
• Individualism as the New CoreIndividualism as the New Core
ValueValue
• Resentment (Middle Class)Resentment (Middle Class)
The figure irepresents truth —
surrounded by bright light (the
central symbol of the
Enlightenment). Two other figures
on the right, reason and
philosophy, are tearing the veil
from truth.RPC2013

14. Challenged Church AuthorityChallenged Church Authority
• In the 16th century,In the 16th century,
various humanistsvarious humanists
had begun to askhad begun to ask
dangerous questions.dangerous questions.
• The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment
allowed people toallowed people to
believe in progress,believe in progress,
to “think outside theto “think outside the
box,” and it led tobox,” and it led to
the rise ofthe rise of
individualismindividualism
The Ninety-Five Theses, (1517) written by Martin
Luther, described his hopes and wants for reform in the
Catholic Church. This effectively challenged the pope'e
authority and the infallibility of the general council, and
eventually led to Luther being excommunicated from
the church and declared a public enemy by the
state.The 95 Theses were translated into German and
Luther's ideas were circulated throughout the empire.RPC2013

15. Medieval Philosophy
• The term medieval refers to the Middle Ages,
the time in European history between classical
antiquity and the Italian Renaissance, from
about 500 A.D. to about 1350.
• Medieval philosophy is theocentric in its
character.
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16. • During the decline of Greco-Roman
civilization, Western philosophers turned their
attention from the scientific investigation of
nature and the search for happiness in this
world, to the problem of salvation and life in
another, better world.
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17. • The torch of civilization in Western Europe
was carried mainly by the Christian Church,
where thought were conducted under the
context of Christian doctrines
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18. • By the 3rd
century AD, Christianity had spread
throughout the Roman Empire.
• The religious teachings of the Gospels were
combined by the Fathers of the Church with
many of the philosophical concepts of the
Greeks and Roman schools.
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20. Acknowledgement
Some Slides excerpted by Dr. Tenorio’s Lecture
THANK YOU and GOD BLESS!!
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