Human Action in Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham

Thomas M. Osborne Jr, Thomas Osborne

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English

The Catholic University of America Press
30 December 2015

Philosophy; Philosophy of religion

This book sets out a thematic presentation of human action, especially as it relates to morality, in the three most significant figures in Medieval Scholastic thought: Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Thomas, along with his teacher Albert the Great, was instrumental in the medieval reception of the action theory of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Scotus and Ockham were part of a later Franciscan theological tradition. Thomas, Scotus, and Ockham worked in the context of a new moral theology that focused on the description and evaluation of human acts. Organized thematically, discussing the causes of human action, the role of practical reasoning, the stages of action, the specification of moral action, and an act’s supernatural and natural worth. Each chapter compares the three main figures on the same set of issues.

The book shows that although the different philosophies of action cannot be explained in terms of any one major difference or principle, there are some common themes that deserve attention. The most notable themes are 1) a developing separation between nature and the will, 2) an increased emphasis on the will’s activity, and 3) a changing view of mental causation. The book is important for those who are interested in medieval philosophy, the philosophy of action, and the intellectual background to Reformation and early modern thought.

By: Thomas M. Osborne Jr, Thomas Osborne
Imprint: The Catholic University of America Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 347g
ISBN: 9780813228747
ISBN 10: 0813228743
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 30 December 2015
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Thomas M. Osborne Jr is professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, USA.

Reviews for Human Action in Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham

Osborne has synthesized a significant amount of material in a clear, instructive way. The volume concisely testifies to the rich tradition of medieval Aristotelianism, and Osborne expertly points to areas of similarity and dissimilarity in the respective accounts of human action by Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham, as well as their varying degrees of indebtedness to ancient and Patristic sources. - Journal of the History of Philosophy Readers interested in an overview of action theory in the late medievalperiod will benefit from their time with this book. - American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly An impressive work of scholarship that investigates the similarities and differences with which these thinkers approached these issues. Theresult is a clearly written study in which competing interpretations are juxtaposed so as to illuminate significant differences in these theories of human action. - International Philosophical Quarterly Osborne's scholarship is impeccable, and the book offers an accurate and carefully analyzed account of an important topic in the thought of three of the most important figures of the High Middle Ages. - Choice