Neil Lewis – författare

Richard Rufus of Cornwall was an early Scholastic philosopher-theologian who taught at the Universities of Paris and Oxford between 1231 and 1255. In those years he played a vital part in the transformation of philosophy and theology in early thirteenth-century Western Europe. He pioneered the teaching of metaphysics, physics, chemistry, psychology, and ethics. At Paris Rufus gave the earliest lectures on Aristotelian physics and metaphysics of which a record survives. Although acknowledged as a great scholar in his lifetime, his devotion to the Franciscan ideal of humility led him deliberately to seek obscurity and for 500 years his work was lost or misattributed. This is the second volume of Richard Rufus's writings in the Auctores Britannici Medii Aevi series, a companion to In Physicam Aristotelis also edited by Professor Rega Wood.De Generatione et corruptione is particularly notable for its accounts of divisibility, growth and Aristotelian mixture. This transforms our understanding of the introduction of Aristotelian natural philosophy to the West and provides insight into the early history and prehistory of chemistry.

Robert Grosseteste (c. 1168-1253), Bishop of Lincoln from 1235 to 1253, was one of the most prominent and remarkable figures in thirteenth-century English intellectual life. He made a powerful impression on his contemporaries and subsequent thinkers at Oxford, and has been hailed as an inspiration to scientific developments in fourteenth-century Oxford. De libero arbitrio, his influential treatise on free will, was written between about 1225 and the early 1230s. This new edition contains Latin texts and en-face English translations of the two versions of the treatise. An extensive introduction provides a thorough account of Grosseteste's treatise, the sources of the text and also its uses in later writers such as Richard Rufus of Cornwall and Richard Fishacre.This book will be of interest not only to specialists in medieval philosophy and theology, but also to the general reader interested in free will.

This is the first great commentary in the Western European tradition of expounding Aristotle's On the Soul. Dated about 1235, this work by Richard Rufus of Cornwall is a major contribution to the history of Western philosophy and the study of Aristotle. Indeed, no future account of thirteenth century philosophical psychology will be able to ignore the contribution of Richard Rufus. Following Aristotle, Rufus addresses questions as diverse as 'how do we reproduce and grow', 'how do we see and hear', 'how do we understand ourselves', and 'how is our immortal soul united with our body?'Its exposition and its questions date from about 35 years before Thomas Aquinas wrote his commentary on On the Soul, so its publication will prompt a re-evaluation of Aquinas's theory of the soul. As the copious notes to this edition indicate, not only is this the earliest surviving commentary on Aristotle's On the Soul taught at a Western University, but it was read by most of Rufus's early successors. Part of this commentary was published in 1952 but this is the first complete edition of a work that disappeared from the historical record 700 years ago. In addition to the text itself, this edition features an extensive introduction which presents the reader with the subsequent tradition, both published and unpublished.

This is the first great commentary in the Western European tradition of expounding Aristotle's Metaphysics. Dated about 1238, this work by Richard Rufus of Cornwall is a major contribution to the history of Western philosophy and the study of Aristotle. No future account of thirteenth-century metaphysics will be able to ignore its contribution.Rufus addresses questions as diverse as 'what is truth?', 'are there many eternal truths?', 'what is prime matter?', and 'how do corruptible and incorruptible substances differ?'. Rufus' views on the nature of truth were strongly influenced by Anselm, while his treatment of the problem of the eternal truths was influenced by his contemporary, Robert Grosseteste. But his views on prime matter owe more to his reading of Averroes and Averroes' understanding of the Aristotelian tradition, as well as to the influence of Augustine. Even so, while deeply indebted to the Aristotelian tradition, Rufus displays an independence and originality of thought throughout the Scriptum.The Scriptum's exposition of Aristotle and its exciting questions date from about 35 years before Thomas Aquinas wrote his commentary on the Metaphysics. Its publication will prompt a re-evaluation of the development of metaphysics in the Latin West. As the copious notes to this edition indicate, it was a very influential work that had a significant impact on the views of the two most popular early Aristotle commentators, Adam Buckfield and Albert the Great.

This is the editio princeps of the first major scholastic commentary on Aristotle'sMetaphysics, edited with features that make the work accessible. A doctrinal index summarizes many of Rufus' principal theses. An index to all the works cited by Rufus includes his many references to Averroes, whom Rufus regarded as his principal guide to the literal meaning of the text. The index generalis lists the principal questions in which Rufus states his more original positions. The extensive footnotes include many references to Rufus' predecessors and contemporaries, which allows readers to contextualize Rufus' interpretation. Finally, the introductions discuss some technical issues and introduce the reader to a few important topics in Rufus' philosophy.