Roscellinus
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| '''Roscellinus''', also called '''Roscelin of Compiègne''' or in [[Latin (language)|Latin]] '''Roscellinus Compendiensis''' and '''Rucelinus''' ({{circa}} 1050 – c. 1125), was a [[France|French]] [[philosopher]] and [[theologian]], often regarded as the founder of [[nominalism]]. | '''Roscellinus''', also called '''Roscelin of Compiègne''' or in [[Latin (language)|Latin]] '''Roscellinus Compendiensis''' and '''Rucelinus''' ({{circa}} 1050 – c. 1125), was a [[France|French]] [[philosopher]] and [[theologian]], often regarded as the founder of [[nominalism]]. | ||
| ==Roscelin's nominalism, or "Sententia Vocum"== | ==Roscelin's nominalism, or "Sententia Vocum"== | ||
| - | According to [[Otto of Freisingen]] Roscelin "primus nostris temporibus sententiam vocum instituit" ("Gesta Frederici imp". in "[[Monum. German. Histor.: Script.]], XX, 376), but the chronicler of the "Historia Francia" (cf. [[Martin Bouquet|Bouquet]], "Recueil des hist. des Gaules et de la France", XII, Paris, 1781, 3, b, c) mentions before him a "magister Johannes", whose personality is much discussed and who has not yet been definitively identified. What constitutes the "sententia vocum"? To judge of it we have besides the texts mentioned above which bear directly on Roscelin an exposition of the treatise "De generibus et speciebus" (thirteenth century), wrongly attributed to Abelard by [[Victor Cousin]]. The "sententia vocum" was one of the anti-Realist solutions of the [[problem of universals]] accepted by the early Middle Ages. Resuming [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]]'s alternative (mox de generibus et speciebus illud quidem sive subsistent sive in nudis intellectibus posita sint) the first medieval philosophers regarded genera and species (substance, corporetiy, animality, humanity) either as things or as having no existence, and applying to this alternative a terminology of [[Boethius]], they derived thence either res (things) or voces (words). To the nominalists [[Universal (metaphysics)|universals]] were ''voces'' 'voices', which means: (1) above all that universals are not "res", that is that only the individual exists: nam cum habeat eorum sententia nihil esse praeter individuum ..." (De gener. et spec., 524). Nominalism was essentially anti-Realist. (2) that universals are merely words, "flatus vocis", e.g., the word "homo", divisible into syllables, consonants and vowels. "Fuit autem, nemini magistri nostri Roscellini tam insana sententia ut nullam rem partibus constare vellet, sed sicut solis vocibus species, ita et partes ascridebat (Abelard, "Liber divisionum , ed. Cousin, 471); "[...] Illi utique dialectici, qui non nisi flatum vocis putant universalis esse substantias, et qui colorem non aliud queunt intellegere quam corpus, nec sapientiam hominis aliud quam animam, prorsus a spiritualium quaestionum disputatione sunt exsufflandi." (Anselm, ''De Incarnatione Verbi'', p. 285. Opera Omnia, vol. 1. Ed. F.S. Schmitt, 1938); "Alius ergo consistit in vocibus, licet haec opinio cum Roscelino suo fere omnino evanuerit (John of Salisbury, Metalog. , II, 17). The universal is reduced to an emission of sound (''flatus vocis''), in conformity with Boethius' definition: ''Nihil enim aliud est prolatio (vocis) quam aeris plectro linguae percussio''. Roscelin's universal corresponds to what is now called the "universale in voce" in opposition to "universale in re" and "universale in intellectu". | + | According to [[Otto of Freisingen]] Roscelin "primus nostris temporibus sententiam vocum instituit" ("Gesta Frederici imp". in "[[Monum. German. Histor.: Script.]], XX, 376), but the chronicler of the "Historia Francia" (cf. [[Martin Bouquet|Bouquet]], "Recueil des hist. des Gaules et de la France", XII, Paris, 1781, 3, b, c) mentions before him a "magister Johannes", whose personality is much discussed and who has not yet been definitively identified. What constitutes the "sententia vocum"? To judge of it we have besides the texts mentioned above which bear directly on Roscelin an exposition of the treatise "De generibus et speciebus" (thirteenth century), wrongly attributed to Abelard by [[Victor Cousin]]. The "sententia vocum" was one of the anti-Realist solutions of the [[problem of universals]] accepted by the early Middle Ages. Resuming [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]]'s alternative (mox de generibus et speciebus illud quidem sive subsistent sive in nudis intellectibus posita sint) the first medieval philosophers regarded genera and species (substance, corporetiy, animality, humanity) either as things or as having no existence, and applying to this alternative a terminology of [[Boethius]], they derived thence either res (things) or voces (words). To the nominalists [[Universal (metaphysics)|universals]] were ''voces'' 'voices', which means: (1) above all that universals are not "res", that is that only the individual exists: nam cum habeat eorum sententia nihil esse praeter individuum ..." (De gener. et spec., 524). Nominalism was essentially anti-Realist. (2) that universals are merely words, "[[flatus vocis]]", e.g., the word "homo", divisible into syllables, consonants and vowels. "Fuit autem, nemini magistri nostri Roscellini tam insana sententia ut nullam rem partibus constare vellet, sed sicut solis vocibus species, ita et partes ascridebat (Abelard, "Liber divisionum , ed. Cousin, 471); "[...] Illi utique dialectici, qui non nisi flatum vocis putant universalis esse substantias, et qui colorem non aliud queunt intellegere quam corpus, nec sapientiam hominis aliud quam animam, prorsus a spiritualium quaestionum disputatione sunt exsufflandi." (Anselm, ''De Incarnatione Verbi'', p. 285. Opera Omnia, vol. 1. Ed. F.S. Schmitt, 1938); "Alius ergo consistit in vocibus, licet haec opinio cum Roscelino suo fere omnino evanuerit (John of Salisbury, Metalog. , II, 17). The universal is reduced to an emission of sound (''flatus vocis''), in conformity with Boethius' definition: ''Nihil enim aliud est prolatio (vocis) quam aeris plectro linguae percussio''. Roscelin's universal corresponds to what is now called the "universale in voce" in opposition to "universale in re" and "universale in intellectu". |
| But this theory of Roscelin's had no connection with the abstract concept of genus and species. He did not touch on this question. It is certain that he did not deny the existence or possibility of these concepts, and he was therefore not a nominalist in the fashion of [[Hippolyte Taine|Taine]] or in the sense in which nominalism is now understood. That is why, in reference to the modern sense of the word, some call it a pseudo-nominalism. John of Salisbury, speaking of "nominalis secta" (Metalog., II, 10), gives it quite another meaning. So Roscelin's rudimentary, even childish, solution does not compromise the value of universal concepts and may be called a stage in the development of [[moderate realism]]. However, because of his position as the first medieval philosopher to challenge medieval Realism, he has been invoked as a forefather of modernity.<ref>Richard J. Utz, "Medievalism as Modernism: Alfred Andersch's Nominalist L''ittérature engageé''," ''Studies in Medievalism'' 6 (1993), 76–90.</ref> | But this theory of Roscelin's had no connection with the abstract concept of genus and species. He did not touch on this question. It is certain that he did not deny the existence or possibility of these concepts, and he was therefore not a nominalist in the fashion of [[Hippolyte Taine|Taine]] or in the sense in which nominalism is now understood. That is why, in reference to the modern sense of the word, some call it a pseudo-nominalism. John of Salisbury, speaking of "nominalis secta" (Metalog., II, 10), gives it quite another meaning. So Roscelin's rudimentary, even childish, solution does not compromise the value of universal concepts and may be called a stage in the development of [[moderate realism]]. However, because of his position as the first medieval philosopher to challenge medieval Realism, he has been invoked as a forefather of modernity.<ref>Richard J. Utz, "Medievalism as Modernism: Alfred Andersch's Nominalist L''ittérature engageé''," ''Studies in Medievalism'' 6 (1993), 76–90.</ref> | ||
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Roscellinus, also called Roscelin of Compiègne or in Latin Roscellinus Compendiensis and Rucelinus (Template:Circa 1050 – c. 1125), was a French philosopher and theologian, often regarded as the founder of nominalism.
Roscelin's nominalism, or "Sententia Vocum"
According to Otto of Freisingen Roscelin "primus nostris temporibus sententiam vocum instituit" ("Gesta Frederici imp". in "Monum. German. Histor.: Script., XX, 376), but the chronicler of the "Historia Francia" (cf. Bouquet, "Recueil des hist. des Gaules et de la France", XII, Paris, 1781, 3, b, c) mentions before him a "magister Johannes", whose personality is much discussed and who has not yet been definitively identified. What constitutes the "sententia vocum"? To judge of it we have besides the texts mentioned above which bear directly on Roscelin an exposition of the treatise "De generibus et speciebus" (thirteenth century), wrongly attributed to Abelard by Victor Cousin. The "sententia vocum" was one of the anti-Realist solutions of the problem of universals accepted by the early Middle Ages. Resuming Porphyry's alternative (mox de generibus et speciebus illud quidem sive subsistent sive in nudis intellectibus posita sint) the first medieval philosophers regarded genera and species (substance, corporetiy, animality, humanity) either as things or as having no existence, and applying to this alternative a terminology of Boethius, they derived thence either res (things) or voces (words). To the nominalists universals were voces 'voices', which means: (1) above all that universals are not "res", that is that only the individual exists: nam cum habeat eorum sententia nihil esse praeter individuum ..." (De gener. et spec., 524). Nominalism was essentially anti-Realist. (2) that universals are merely words, "flatus vocis", e.g., the word "homo", divisible into syllables, consonants and vowels. "Fuit autem, nemini magistri nostri Roscellini tam insana sententia ut nullam rem partibus constare vellet, sed sicut solis vocibus species, ita et partes ascridebat (Abelard, "Liber divisionum , ed. Cousin, 471); "[...] Illi utique dialectici, qui non nisi flatum vocis putant universalis esse substantias, et qui colorem non aliud queunt intellegere quam corpus, nec sapientiam hominis aliud quam animam, prorsus a spiritualium quaestionum disputatione sunt exsufflandi." (Anselm, De Incarnatione Verbi, p. 285. Opera Omnia, vol. 1. Ed. F.S. Schmitt, 1938); "Alius ergo consistit in vocibus, licet haec opinio cum Roscelino suo fere omnino evanuerit (John of Salisbury, Metalog. , II, 17). The universal is reduced to an emission of sound (flatus vocis), in conformity with Boethius' definition: Nihil enim aliud est prolatio (vocis) quam aeris plectro linguae percussio. Roscelin's universal corresponds to what is now called the "universale in voce" in opposition to "universale in re" and "universale in intellectu".
But this theory of Roscelin's had no connection with the abstract concept of genus and species. He did not touch on this question. It is certain that he did not deny the existence or possibility of these concepts, and he was therefore not a nominalist in the fashion of Taine or in the sense in which nominalism is now understood. That is why, in reference to the modern sense of the word, some call it a pseudo-nominalism. John of Salisbury, speaking of "nominalis secta" (Metalog., II, 10), gives it quite another meaning. So Roscelin's rudimentary, even childish, solution does not compromise the value of universal concepts and may be called a stage in the development of moderate realism. However, because of his position as the first medieval philosopher to challenge medieval Realism, he has been invoked as a forefather of modernity.<ref>Richard J. Utz, "Medievalism as Modernism: Alfred Andersch's Nominalist Littérature engageé," Studies in Medievalism 6 (1993), 76–90.</ref>
Roscelin was also taken to task by Anselm and Abelard for the less clear idea which he gave of the whole and of composite substance. According to Anselm he maintained that colour does not exist independently of the horse which serves as its support and that the wisdom of the soul is not outside of the soul which is wise (De fide trinit., 2). He denies to the whole, such as house, man, real existence of its parts. The word alone had parts, "ita divinam paginam pervertit, ut eo loco quo Dominus partem piscis assi comedisse partem hujus vocis, quae est piscis assi, non partem rei intelligere cogatur (Cousin, P. Abaelardi opera, II. 151).
Roscelin was not without his supporters; among them was his contemporary Raimbert of Lille, and what the monk Hériman relates of his doctrine agrees with the statements of the master of Compiègne. Universal substances, says Hériman, are but a breath, which means eos de sapientium numero merito esse exsufflandos". He merely comments on the saying of Anselm characterized by the same jesting tone: a spiritualium quaestionum disputatione sunt exsufflandi" (P.L., 256a), and says that to understand the windy loquacity of Raimbert of Lille one has but to breathe into his hand (manuque ori admota exsufflans "Mon. Germ. Hist.", XIV, 275).
See also
