Humanity's knowledge of natures in Peter Abelard's solution to the problem of universals

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to identify and discuss a problem in Peter Abelard's solution to the problem of universals. In Chapter 1, I present a brief account of Abelard's account of universals geared towards familiarizing the reader with the basic concepts and terminology involved in his solution In Chapter 2, I identify the problem I perceive with this account; namely that Abelard seems to be committed to two, incompatible, positions as regards whether or not it is possible for human beings to acquire knowledge of natures. In Chapter 3, I will examine the passages where Abelard addresses this tension. As we will see, he provides no satisfactory solution to this problem. At the end of Chapter 3, I will also examine the work of Peter King who, in his highly influential Ph.D thesis, suggests a reading of certain passages in Abelard that he thinks solves our problem. I will argue, however, that King's solution cannot be accepted as it relies on a mistaken translation of Abelard's Latin such that it misconstrues the passages King cites as evidence for his view.