Bihlmaier Ars et methodus

Philipp Melanchthon’s Humanist concept of philosophy
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-647-57059-4
Verlag: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band Band 047, 305 Seiten

Reihe: Refo500 Academic Studies (R5AS)

Sandra Bihlmaier constitutes a historical and philosophical analysis of Philipp Melanchthon’s concept of method and philosophy. By means of a detailed inquiry into Melanchthon’s textbooks of dialectic and rhetoric it uncovers the emergence and development of a notion of method which underlies an encyclopedic understanding of philosophy. The work reveals both the traditions of rhetoric and dialectic which Melanchthon builds on in his own works, as well as the Reformer’s own original reinterpretation of these traditions. Moreover, the reinterpretation and transformation of essential concepts taken from traditional accounts is thematized against the background of the canon of arts and sciences, which undergoes a fundamental change during the European Renaissance. The understanding, configuration, and the applicability of this canon is deeply influenced by this original concept of method.Philipp Melanchthon’s concept of method and philosophy is central to the understanding of 16th century definition of philosophy. Melanchthon’s attempt to integrate into a former theoretical discipline, both the aspect of usefulness, as well as a degree of general applicability in human affairs, testifies to the fertility of his philosophical program. Also his project is highly relevant for an understanding of philosophy which transgresses contemporary idiosyncratic categories of philosophical knowledge and draws attention to two fundamental historiographical aspects. First, it cautions historians and philosophers against transferring current definitions of philosophy to works which emerge from different historical, social and intellectual traditions. Second, it raises the awareness of the reader regarding his own understanding of philosophy and of its underlying presuppositions.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bihlmaier, Sandra

Weitere Mitwirkende

Selderhuis, Herman J.

Brown, Christopher B.

Frank, Günter

Gordon, Bruce

Mahlmann-Bauer, Barbara

Rasmussen, Tarald

Soen, Violet

Tóth, Zsombor

Wassilowsky, Günther

Westphal, Siegrid

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Westliche Philosophie: Neuzeit
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Systematische Theologie Geschichte der Theologie, Einzelne Theologen
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Title Page;4
2;Copyright;5
3;Acknowledgments;8
4;Body;14
5;1. Introduction;14
5.1;1.1 Reading the Renaissance Text;14
5.2;1.2 Historians of philosophy and their methodologies;17
5.3;1.3 Melanchthon as philosopher and his conception of philosophy;21
5.4;1.4 Method, material and aim of study;28
6;2. On fathers and grandfathers: Melanchthon's heritage of dialectic;32
6.1;2.1 Philipp Melanchthon: A Renaissance Humanist;32
6.1.1;2.1.1 The question of authority;36
6.1.2;2.1.2 The theological pressupositions;44
6.1.3;2.1.3 The question of method: the transformation of philosophy;47
6.2;2.2 Melanchthon between Tübingen and Wittenberg: The seeds of Reform;50
6.3;2.3 Aristotle's legacy: forms of knowledge and discourse;55
6.3.1;2.3.1 Dialectical argumentation;55
6.3.2;2.3.2 Scientific reasoning;63
6.3.3;2.3.3 Persuasive speech;65
6.3.4;2.3.4 Conclusion: Assessments of Aristotle's logic of argumentation;69
6.4;2.4 Cicero: on words and things;74
6.4.1;2.4.1 Oratory and philosophy;74
6.4.2;2.4.2 Topica: Memoria repetita conscripta;76
6.5;2.5 Theophrastus, Themistius, Alexander of Aphrodisias: From arguments to principles;84
6.6;2.6 Boethius: De topicis differentiis: The logic of producing belief;89
6.6.1;2.6.1 Discorvery (inventio) and judgment (iudicatio);90
6.6.2;2.6.2 Ratio quae rei dubiat faciat fidem;95
6.7;2.7 Developments of the Topics in the Middle Ages;99
6.7.1;2.7.1 Omnis bona consequentia tenet per aliquem locum;100
6.7.2;2.7.2 Summulae Logicales;103
6.8;2.8 Rudolph Agricola and the all encompassing forms of probable reasoning;108
6.8.1;2.8.1 Melanchthon's encounter with Agricola's dialectic;108
6.8.2;2.8.2 Agricola's De Inventione Dialectica;109
6.8.3;2.8.3 Argumentatio fidem facere conatur;113
6.8.4;2.8.4 Dialectical instruments of proof;115
6.8.5;2.8.5 Concluding remarks;120
6.9;2.9 Conclusion;121
7;3. Philipp Melanchthon's Dialectic and Rhetoric: his reform of the language arts;126
7.1;3.1 Melanchthon as representative of Northern Humanism: His immediate predecessors;126
7.1.1;3.1.1 The “Rhetorical Turn”: The Procustean Bed of Renaissance Philosophy;128
7.2;3.2 The Melanchthonian Project: Dialectica et Rethorica copulatae sunt;132
7.2.1;3.2.1 Melanchthon's integrative approach: the leitmotif of his pedagogical work;133
7.2.2;3.2.2 Restoring rhetoric for the sake of dialectic;137
7.3;3.3 Melanchthon's De Rhetorica libri tres;143
7.3.1;3.3.1 The genus demonstrativum as a genus metodikon;144
7.3.2;3.3.2 The method of the genus metodikon.;146
7.3.2.1;3.3.2.1 The first part of method: the questions;146
7.3.2.2;3.3.2.2 The organa of invention;147
7.3.2.3;3.3.2.3 The questions of scientific inquiry;148
7.3.2.4;3.3.2.4 The dialectical perspectives;149
7.3.2.5;3.3.2.5 The status-theory;149
7.3.2.6;3.3.2.6 Stoic dialectic;150
7.3.2.7;3.3.2.7 Melanchthon's hermeneutics: the theory of commonplaces;152
7.3.2.8;3.3.2.8 The second part of method: the loci;154
7.3.2.9;3.3.2.9 The actual genus demonstrativum and the loci personarum;157
7.3.2.10;3.3.2.10 Disposition and Elocution;158
7.3.2.11;3.3.2.11 Conclusion;159
7.4;3.4 Melanchthon's Compendiaria Dialectices;160
7.4.1;3.4.1 The Aristotelian structure and the Ciceronian definition;163
7.4.2;3.4.2 The dialectical method of the simple parts;165
7.4.3;3.4.3 The simple speech: propositio;169
7.4.4;3.4.4 The forms of arguments;170
7.4.5;3.4.5 The method of invention;173
7.4.6;3.4.6 Conclusion;175
7.4.7;3.4.7 Stephen Toulmin's assessment of argumentation: A comparison;178
7.5;3.5 Melanchthon's Institutiones Rhetoricae;182
7.5.1;3.5.1 Dialectical invention;183
7.5.2;3.5.2 Loci personarum and loci communes;183
7.5.3;3.5.3 Eloquence;185
7.5.4;3.5.4 Conclusion: The early textbooks as a mélange of Aristotelian and rhetorical views;186
7.6;3.6 Melanchthon's laudatory speech on eloquence: Necessarias esse ad omne studiorum genus artes dicendi;189
7.6.1;3.6.1 Clear and distinct language;189
7.6.2;3.6.2 The usefulness of literature;192
7.6.3;3.6.3 Erudite theology;194
7.6.4;3.6.4 Conclusion;196
7.7;3.7 Melanchthon's Dialectica Libri Quatuor: Ars ac via docendi;196
7.7.1;3.7.1 Is Melanchthon's dialectic a Lutheran dialectic?;197
7.7.2;3.7.2 On simple speech: some epistemological considerations;199
7.7.3;3.7.3 On the method of explaining simple themes;203
7.7.4;3.7.4 On propositions;205
7.7.5;3.7.5 On arguments;206
7.7.6;3.7.6 The method of complex questions: dialectical and rhetorical loci;209
7.7.7;3.7.7 On demonstration: Demonstrative and probable loci;212
7.7.8;3.7.8 Conclusion;214
7.8;3.8 Melanchthon's Elementorum Rhetorices Libri Duo: Eloquentia facultas est sapienter et ornate dicendi;215
7.8.1;3.8.1 Eloquence as a guarantor of clear speech;216
7.8.2;3.8.2 The Dialectical origin of rhetoric: the genus didaskalion;218
7.8.3;3.8.3 Conclusion;222
7.9;3.9 Melanchthon's Erotemata Dialectices: Dialectica est ars artium, scientia scientiarum;223
7.9.1;3.9.1 Dialectic and Arithmetic;224
7.9.2;3.9.2 On method;228
7.9.3;3.9.3 On propositions;231
7.9.4;3.9.4 On Argument Forms;233
7.9.5;3.9.5 The seats of arguments: the loci;235
7.9.6;3.9.6 The sources of human certainty;236
7.10;3.10 Conclusion;243
8;4. On method and discourse as the criteria of Melanchthonian humanist philosophy;248
8.1;4.1 De Philosophia;250
8.1.1;4.1.1 Method and philosophy;252
8.1.2;4.1.2 The cycle of arts;253
8.1.3;4.1.3 For the sake of the Church and of civil order;256
8.2;4.2 Liber de Anima: The book on body and mind;257
8.2.1;4.2.1 The treatise on the soul: an anthropology;259
8.2.2;4.2.2 On the intellectual capacity, or mind;260
8.2.3;4.2.3 What is a notion?;263
8.2.4;4.2.4 The passive and the inventor intellect;265
8.2.5;4.2.5 The human and the divine mind;267
8.3;4.3 Initia doctrinae physicae: The book on man and nature;268
8.3.1;4.3.1 The multivarious topics of natural knowledge treated in the Initia;270
8.3.2;4.3.2 What is the purpose of natural philosophy?;272
8.3.3;4.3.3 What is the method of natural philosophy?;273
8.3.4;4.3.4 The language of natural philosophy;275
8.4;4.4 Ethicae doctrinae elementa: On natural and divine law;278
8.4.1;4.4.1 Natural and civil law;279
8.4.2;4.4.2 On natural law as divine law;280
8.4.3;4.4.3 Dialectical method in ethics;281
8.4.4;4.4.4 Conclusion;282
9;5. General Conclusion: Quae ratione philosophia tractanda sit;284
10;6. Bibliography;288
10.1;6.1 Primary Literature;288
10.2;6.2 Secondary Literature;290
11;Index of Persons;300
12;Index of Subjects;302

Über Autor(innen)

Selderhuis, Herman J.
Dr. theol. Herman J. Selderhuis ist Professor für Kirchengeschichte an der Theologischen Universität Apeldoorn, Direktor von Refo500, Wissenschaftlicher Kurator der Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek sowie Präsident des Internationalen Calvinkongresses.

Bihlmaier, Sandra
After defending her doctoral thesis in philosophy in the spring of 2017, Dr. phil. Sandra Bihlmaier decided to explore new branches of knowledge. She is currently working in the field of automotive technology in the Stuttgart area.

Soen, Violet
Dr. Violet Soen is assistant professor of Early Modern History at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.