Pedro Abelardo . French philosopher and theologian. [1] He founded his own school and moved away from his teachers Roscelino and Guillaume de Champeaux. The Council of Sens (1141) condemns him after the accusations that Saint Bernard makes against him. Tragic situations appear in his private life. He secretly marries Eloísa , the niece of Canon Fulberto, who has him castrated. Saddened, he wanders from monastery to monastery and retracts his ideas. The love letters of Eloísa and Historia calamitatum are known; their songs of love were lost.
In the philosophical controversy, characteristic of the Middle Ages , about the nature of universals (in that discussion the struggle between materialism and idealism was manifested ), he supported the ideas of conceptualism , close to materialism. At the same time, he vigorously argued against scholastic realism , (Medieval Realism). In his book “Sic et Non” he proposed that religious faith be limited by “rational principles”, he exposed the irreducible contradictions contained in the judgments of the Church authorities, which was progressive in the conditions of that time. His conceptions were condemned as heretical of the Catholic Church . [1]
Summary
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- 1 Biographical synthesis
- 1 History with Eloísa
- 2 Accusations
- 3 Contributions
- 2 References
- 3 External links
- 4 Sources
Biographical synthesis
He was born in Brittany and studied Rhetoric , Grammar , Dialectics , Arithmetic , Geometry , Astronomy and Music in Paris , studies that included the Magister in artibus. He began teaching in 1112 , his oratories were so famous that his students came from France , Italy , England and Germany to listen to him. Abelardo also devoted himself to music and poetry .
History with Eloísa
Around 1115 he was entrusted with the education of the young Heloise, niece of Fulbert canon of Paris, whom he seduced and kidnapped. Fulberto in revenge orders the castration of Abelardo. After this, Eloísa is admitted to a convent where she gives birth to a child named Astrolabio and humbled Abelardo becomes a monk. As for Fulberto, he is sentenced to exile. Recovered from the trauma, he resumed teaching, taking place the famous “Querella de las Universidades”, in which he ridiculed the teachers Guillermo de Champeux , Anselmo de Laon and Roscelino .
Accusations
In 1121 he is accused of heresy, which is why he goes to the Council of Soissons to present his defenses, although the verdict had been drawn up before his arrival, because his opponents feared facing his oratory. He is condemned to burn his work and is prohibited from teaching.
He retired to the field, where he founded the school of the Paraclete , where crowds flocked to hear his teachings. This time he is accused by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the Abbot of Cluny. Abelardo requests public defense before the Pope, but again out of fear of his rhetoric, he is denied the right to defense and is declared a heretic and sentenced to perpetual silence. He retired to monastic life and died in 1142 .
Contributions
Abelard confronted the men of his time with a logical and rational Aristotelian dialectic
“… I set out to explain the foundations of our faith through similarities based on human reason… nothing can be believed that previously had not been understood; and that it is ridiculous for someone to preach anything that neither he nor his students can grasp with their intellect. As the Lord himself argues- they would be blind driving blind… ”(Pedro Abelardo. Historia Calamitatum)
He contributed to developing the future scholastic method, he clashed with his contemporaries, especially Bernardo de Clairvaux for applying the logical method to faith. I followed the rule of
“… through doubt we start the search and through the search we arrive at the truth …”
His ethical perspective was based on tolerance, even affirming that morality did not depend so much on the importance of sins as on the intention of the sinner. He wrote several love poems, “lai” songs, books on philosophy and theology . Among his works is his autobiography ” Historia de mis calamidades “, ” Know yourself “, ” Ethics “, ” Letters from Abelardo to Eloísa “, ” Dialogue between a philosopher, a Jew and a Christian “, etc.
Pedro Abelardo, like every pioneer, was undoubtedly admired and misunderstood. His works contained advanced criteria that could not be burned on the pyre of heresy. His remains rest in Paris next to his beloved Heloise.
