ABSTRACT
In general terms the so-called medieval era spans roughly a thousand years in European history between the fall of the Roman Empire around 450 eR 1 to the so-called Italian Renaissance in the latter half of the fifteenth century. It almost goes without saying that what happened in philosophy during these thousand years between Rome and the Renaissance is pivotal to understanding modern and contemporary thought. But it is equally important to try and understand medieval ideas in their own right, not just as stepping stones to the modern world view. Just as in art and music, sometimes appreciating the intrinsic value of a work illuminates it in ways that may make it shine more, not less, than what came after. In this book we shall thus try to learn and appreciate not only the evolutionary, but also the revolutionary, aspects of medieval philosophy.
