Thinking about Animals in Thirteenth-Century Paris

'Short, elegant and beautifully written, this study rests upon Ian P. Wei's outstanding combination of knowledge and technical mastery in this field. It succeeds brilliantly in exploring what the five most important theologians in thirteenth-century Paris had to say about the similarities and differences of humans and animals, and its emphasis on William of Auvergne makes an unusual and very original thinker better known. The extensiveness of Wei's deft and precise translations give this work an additional role as an invaluable and accessible resource-book with original Latin provided in the footnotes.' Pete Biller, University of York 'The ingenious theologians of the early university of Paris used thinking about animals as a way of answering questions about what made humans human. Ian Wei's elegant presentation of their writings lets us see how they used animals to investigate human exceptionalism, as well as the nature of creation itself.' Lesley Smith, University of Oxford '… he has produced a work of such depth and clarity that its ideas both illuminate their own time period and resonate into the present day.' Summer Lizer, Comitatus 'Overall, Wei's book is an important addition to the scholarly literature. Since it does not require special background knowledge of medieval philosophy or theology, it can be recommended to anyone interested in medieval ways of thinking about animals.' Juhana Toivanen, Speculum 'A great treasure trove for all who are interested in learned debates about the human-animal boundaries in the Middle Ages … the point with which Wei is concerned becomes extremely clear: the Middle Ages have no rigid 'order of creatures', but are marked by a variety of points of view. New research on this important topic will build on this with profit and expand the perspective further.' Marcel Bubert, Historische Zeitschrift (in German)