Medieval Psychology

Medieval Psychology
Author: Simon Kemp
Publisher: Praeger
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1990
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0313267340

Download Medieval Psychology Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book describes the psychological ideas current in medieval Europe and their development during the period. The book aims partly to correct misperceptions about the nature of psychology in the Middle Ages. An important theme presented in this work is the surprising unity and coherence of medieval psychology. Chapter 1 gives a brief historical background to the Middle Ages, and outlines two major influences on medieval psychology: Christian beliefs and the earlier views of classical philosophers and physicians. Chapter 2 outlines medieval views on the nature of the soul and spirit, particularly those views derived from Aristotle. Chapter 3 deals with medieval theories of perception, particularly visual perception, while chapter 4 covers cognition and memory, particularly the medieval doctrine of the inner senses, according to which many cognitive functions were performed in the ventricles of the brain. Chapter 5 considers and evaluates Thomas Aquinas' account of emotion and will. Chapters 2 through 5 consider psychological phenomena mainly discussed by medieval scholastics; the phenomena in chapter 6 to 9, however, were often discussed by people with a less philosophical approach. Chapter 6 considers medieval accounts of individual differences, in particular the doctrine of the humors and the influence of astrology. Chapters 7 and 8 are concerned with widely different aspects of, and approaches to, mental disorder in the Middle Ages. Chapter 9 briefly describes a few further aspects of medieval psychology, and in the final chapter some conclusions are drawn. This book is written for people with a general interest in medieval studies, and will also appeal to historians of medieval psychology or medicine.

Medieval Psychology

Medieval Psychology
Author: Simon Kemp
Publisher: Praeger
Total Pages: 208
Release: 1990-06-26
Genre: History
ISBN:

Download Medieval Psychology Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book describes the psychological ideas current in medieval Europe and their development during the period. The book aims partly to correct misperceptions about the nature of psychology in the Middle Ages. An important theme presented in this work is the surprising unity and coherence of medieval psychology. Chapter 1 gives a brief historical background to the Middle Ages, and outlines two major influences on medieval psychology: Christian beliefs and the earlier views of classical philosophers and physicians. Chapter 2 outlines medieval views on the nature of the soul and spirit, particularly those views derived from Aristotle. Chapter 3 deals with medieval theories of perception, particularly visual perception, while chapter 4 covers cognition and memory, particularly the medieval doctrine of the inner senses, according to which many cognitive functions were performed in the ventricles of the brain. Chapter 5 considers and evaluates Thomas Aquinas' account of emotion and will. Chapters 2 through 5 consider psychological phenomena mainly discussed by medieval scholastics; the phenomena in chapter 6 to 9, however, were often discussed by people with a less philosophical approach. Chapter 6 considers medieval accounts of individual differences, in particular the doctrine of the humors and the influence of astrology. Chapters 7 and 8 are concerned with widely different aspects of, and approaches to, mental disorder in the Middle Ages. Chapter 9 briefly describes a few further aspects of medieval psychology, and in the final chapter some conclusions are drawn. This book is written for people with a general interest in medieval studies, and will also appeal to historians of medieval psychology or medicine.

Cognitive Psychology in the Middle Ages

Cognitive Psychology in the Middle Ages
Author: Simon Kemp
Publisher: Praeger
Total Pages: 160
Release: 1996-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN:

Download Cognitive Psychology in the Middle Ages Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book summarizes the ideas about cognitive psychology expressed in the writings of medieval Europeans. Up until the 13th century, Christians who wrote about cognitive psychology, foremost of whom was St. Augustine, did so in the Neoplatonic tradition. The translation of the works of Aristotle and some of the works of Arab scholars into Latin during the 12th and 13th centuries brought a high level of sophistication to the theories. The author touches upon the works of Augustine, Averro^Des, Avicenna, Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, and others.

The Ontology, Psychology and Axiology of Habits (Habitus) in Medieval Philosophy

The Ontology, Psychology and Axiology of Habits (Habitus) in Medieval Philosophy
Author: Nicolas Faucher
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2019-01-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3030002357

Download The Ontology, Psychology and Axiology of Habits (Habitus) in Medieval Philosophy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book features 20 essays that explore how Latin medieval philosophers and theologians from Anselm to Buridan conceived of habitus, as well as detailed studies of the use of the concept by Augustine and of the reception of the medieval doctrines of habitus in Suàrez and Descartes. Habitus are defined as stable dispositions to act or think in a certain way. This definition was passed down to the medieval thinkers from Aristotle and, to a lesser extent, Augustine, and played a key role in many of the philosophical and theological developments of the time. Written by leading experts in medieval and modern philosophy, the book offers a historical overview that examines the topic in light of recent advances in medieval cognitive psychology and medieval moral theory. Coverage includes such topics as the metaphysics of the soul, the definition of virtue and vice, and the epistemology of self-knowledge. The book also contains an introduction that is the first attempt at a comprehensive survey of the nature and function of habitus in medieval thought. The material will appeal to a wide audience of historians of philosophy and contemporary philosophers. It is relevant as much to the historian of ancient philosophy who wants to track the historical reception of Aristotelian ideas as it is to historians of modern philosophy who would like to study the progressive disappearance of the term “habitus” in the early modern period and the concepts that were substituted for it. In addition, the volume will also be of interest to contemporary philosophers open to historical perspectives in order to renew current trends in cognitive psychology, virtue epistemology, and virtue ethics.

Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies

Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies
Author: Juliana Dresvina
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2020-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1786836769

Download Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This study brings together medieval studies and cognitive methodologies in a study specifically aimed at medievalists. It presents a longer history of certain mental health conditions and locates contemporary debates about the mind in a broader historical framework. It considers both the benefits of incorporating insights from contemporary neuroscientific and cognitive studies into the exploration of the past, and the benefits of employing historical models and case studies in order to reflect on modern methods.

The Mystic Mind

The Mystic Mind
Author: Jerome Kroll
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2006-06-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 113429767X

Download The Mystic Mind Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A fascinating collaboration between a medieval historian and a professor of psychiatry, this enthralling book applies modern biological and psychological research findings to the lives of medieval mystics and ascetics. Drawing upon a database of over 1,400 medieval holy persons and in-depth studies of individual saints, this illuminating study examines the relationship between medieval mystical experiences, the religious practices of mortification; laceration of the flesh, sleep deprivation and extreme starvation, and how these actions produced altered states of consciousness and brain function in the heroic ascetics. Examining and disputing much contemporary writing about the political and gender motivations in the medieval quest for a closeness with God, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in medieval religion or the effects of self-injurious behaviour on the mind.

Metaphor and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Thought

Metaphor and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Thought
Author: Dianna Lynn Roberts-Zauderer
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2019-12-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3030294226

Download Metaphor and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Thought Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book reveals how Moses ibn Ezra, Judah Halevi, Moses Maimonides, and Shem Tov ibn Falaquera understood metaphor and imagination, and their role in the way human beings describe God. It demonstrates how these medieval Jewish thinkers engaged with Arabic-Aristotelian psychology, specifically with regard to imagination and its role in cognition. Dianna Lynn Roberts-Zauderer reconstructs the process by which metaphoric language is taken up by the imagination and the role of imagination in rational thought. If imagination is a necessary component of thinking, how is Maimonides’ idea of pure intellectual thought possible? An examination of select passages in the Guide, in both Judeo-Arabic and translation, shows how Maimonides’ attitude towards imagination develops, and how translations contribute to a bifurcation of reason and imagination that does not acknowledge the nuances of the original text. Finally, the author shows how Falaquera’s poetics forges a new direction for thinking about imagination.

Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies

Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies
Author: Juliana Dresvina
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2020-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1786836750

Download Cognitive Sciences and Medieval Studies Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

With the rapid development of the cognitive sciences and their importance to how we contemplate questions about the mind and society, recent research in the humanities has been characterised by a ‘cognitive turn’. For their part, the humanities play an important role in forming popular ideas of the human mind and in analysing the way cognitive, psychological and emotional phenomena are experienced in time and space. This collection aims to inspire medievalists and other scholars within the humanities to engage with the tools and investigative methodologies deriving from cognitive sciences. Contributors explore topics including medieval and modern philosophy of mind, the psychology of religion, the history of psychological medicine and the re-emergence of the body in cognition. What is the value of mapping how neurons fire when engaging with literature and art? How can we understand psychological stress as a historically specific phenomenon? What can medieval mystics teach us about contemplation and cognition?

The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Ethics

The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Ethics
Author: Thomas Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 427
Release: 2018-12-06
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1107167744

Download The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Ethics Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Offers historical and topical chapters on the whole range of medieval ethical thought in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic philosophy.

Emotions in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Emotions in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Author: Simo Knuuttila
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199266387

Download Emotions in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The first part of the book covers the theories of the emotions of Plato and Aristotle and later ancient views from Stoicism to Neoplatonism (Ch. 1) and their reception and transformation by early Christian thinkers from Clement and Origen to Gregory of Nyssa, Cassian and Augustine (Ch. 2). The basic ancient alternatives were the compositional theories of Plato and Aristotle and their followers and the Stoic judgement theory. These were associated with different conceptions of philosophical therapy. Ancient theories were employed in early Christian discussions of sin, Christian love, mystical union, and other forms of spiritual experience. The most influential theological themes were the monastic idea of supernaturally caused feelings and Augustine's analysis of the relations between the emotions and the will. The first part of Ch. 3 deals with the twelfth-century reception of ancient themes through monastic, theological, medical, and philosophical literature. The subject of the second part is the theory of emotions in Avicenna's faculty psychology, which, to a great extent, dominated the philosophical discussion of emotions in early thirteenth century. This approach was combined with Aristotelian ideas in later thirteenth century, particularly in Thomas Aquinas' extensive taxonomical theory. The increasing interest in psychological voluntarism led many Franciscan authors to abandon the traditional view that emotions belong only to the lower psychosomatic level. John Duns Scotus, William Ockham and their followers argued that there are also emotions of the will. Chapter 4 is about these new issues introduced in early fourteenth-century discussions, with some remarks on their influence on early modern thought.