Nicolaus from Autrecourt

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Nicolaus von Autrecourt (* around 1300 in Autrecourt near Verdun ; † July 16 or 17, 1369 in Metz ), also Nicholas d'Autrécourt , Nicolaus de Autricuria and Nicolaus de Ultricuria , was a French philosopher and theologian. Today he is primarily known for his criticism of the concept of substance and the traditional theory of causality , which is why he is often referred to as the " Hume of the Middle Ages".

Life

The exact year of birth of Nicolaus is unknown, it should be between 1295 and 1298. Between 1320 and 1327 he studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and graduated with a master's degree in liberal arts ( artes ) and a bachelor's degree and licentiate in theology. He also obtained the title of Bachelor in Law, presumably - since no law was taught at the Sorbonne at the time - in Orléans , Avignon or Montpellier . The cathedral school of Metz  granted Nicolaus a benefice on March 4, 1338 , which allowed him to teach. Lectures on the sentences of Petrus Lombardus and on the politics of Aristotle are known, but not preserved .

In these lectures, in disputations as well as in letters to an (otherwise unknown) Bernhard von Arezzo and in a work Exigit ordo executionis , Nicolaus represented unconventional views and sharply criticized the Aristotelian-scholastic doctrine prevailing at the time. This made the Curia  aware of him. A letter from Benedict XII. of November 21, 1340 ordered Nicolaus and several other Paris theologians to be present at the papal court in Avignon within a month so that their teachings could be examined there. Although Benedict XII. died on April 25, 1342, the procedure was followed by his successor, Clement VI. , continued. A commission of inquiry made up of masters and theologians under the direction of Cardinal Wilhelm Curti examined numerous theses attributed to Nicolaus (so-called "articles") and prepared an expert opinion; Nicolaus was then interrogated before the Pope and the charges were re-examined. Nicolaus defended his theses himself in the presence of the Pope, but did not represent them seriously, but presented them as merely dialectical theses, which he had only represented for exercise in academic discussion ( causa collationis ) and not as his own opinion. He asked the Pope for mercy "by an act of total submission," which shows the gravity of the trial which threatened the entire academic and civic existence of the accused. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1346 a total of 63 articles originating from or attributed to Nicolaus were condemned. He had to publicly revoke his teachings and should publicly burn his writings on November 25, 1347 in Paris. His academic degrees were revoked and he was forbidden from any further teaching activity; Since the verdict also affected all of Nicolaus' supporters, he was socially ostracized with the condemnation.

It is often assumed that Nicolaus, like Wilhelm von Ockham, fled to Munich to Ludwig the Bavarian or at his court before this conviction ; however, this cannot be proven. All that remains is that Nicolaus was appointed dean of the cathedral chapter in Metz on August 6, 1350 . While it was previously assumed that Nicolaus died a short time afterwards, his death today will be on the 16./17. Dated July 1369.

Scriptures and teaching

Of the writings of Nicolaus, only the tract Exigit ordo executionis , a theological Quaestio Utrum visio creature rationalis beatificabilis per verbum possit intendi naturaliter , two of the original nine letters to Bernhard von Arezzo, a letter to an unknown Egidius and the condemned 63 theses have survived ; However, it is questionable whether these theses ascribed to Nicolaus actually all go back to him.

In the discussion about the problem of universals , Nicolaus took an extremely nominalist position in succession to Wilhelm von Ockham . In dealing with Aristotelian philosophy, he criticized the acceptance of Aristotelian metaphysics by scholastic philosophy of the 14th century. According to Nicolaus, one cannot infer the underlying substances and (divine) causes from given, perceived properties .

Probability plays a central role in Nicolaus' philosophy ; an atomistic conception of space and time is more likely than the Aristotelian thesis of space and time as an infinitely divisible continua .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans Thijssen: Article "Nicholas of Autrecourt" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
  2. ↑ Jakob Hans Josef Schneider:  Nicolaus von Autrecourt. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 684-691, cited: Sp. 684.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  3. ↑ Hans Thijssen: Article "Nicholas of Autrecourt" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
  4. ↑ Dominik Perler: “Introduction”, in: Nicolaus von Autrecourt, Letters (see Bibliography), p. IX; Years according to Jakob Hans Josef Schneider:  Nicolaus von Autrecourt. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 684-691, cited: Sp. 684.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  5. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, note 1; Probable study locations according to Hans Thijssen: Article “Nicholas of Autrecourt” in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
  6. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, p. X; Schneider ibid.
  7. ↑ Schneider, “Introduction” p. X with note 6 and p. XII.
  8. ↑ On the Perler process, “Introduction”, pp. X – XII; Schneider ibid.
  9. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, p. XLV.
  10. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, p. XLIII.
  11. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, pp. XLIV f. with text of the petition for clemency.
  12. ↑ Perler, "Introduction", pp. XII and XLV; Schneider ibid. Text of the condemned theses in Nicolaus von Autrecourt, Letters (see Bibliography), pp. 75–95.
  13. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, p. XII with note 18; Schneider ibid.
  14. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, p. XII; Schneider ibid.
  15. ^ So Jakob Hans Josef Schneider:  Nicolaus von Autrecourt. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 684-691.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  16. ↑ Hans Thijssen: Article "Nicholas of Autrecourt" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
  17. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, pp. XII f.
  18. ↑ Perler, “Introduction”, pp. XXXIII f. considers 15 of the 36 theses to be “misinterpretations” or incorrect attributions.
  19. ↑ So Schneider ibid.
  20. ↑ Kurt Flasch, Philosophical Thinking in the Middle Ages. By Augustin zu Machiavelli, Stuttgart ³2013, p. 541.

Text editions and translations

  • Josef Lappe : “Nicolaus von Autrecourt. His life, his philosophy, his writings ”, in: Contributions to the history of the Middle Ages 6 (1908), issue 2, pp. 1-48. - Latin text of the letters received and the articles convicted.
  • JR O'Donnell: "Nicholas of Autrecourt", in: Mediaeval Studies 1 (1939), pp. 179-280. - Latin text of the treatise Exigit ordo executionis and the Quaestio Utrum visio creature rationalis ...
  • Nicholas of Autrecourt: The Universal Treatise . Translated by Leonard A. Kennedy, Richard E. Arnold, and Arthur E. Millward, with an Introduction by Leonard A. Kennedy. Marquette University Press, Milwaukee 1971. - English translation of the treatise Exigit ordo executionis .
  • Nicolaus von Autrecourt: Letters. Newly edited by Ruedi Imbach and Dominik Perler , translated and introduced by Dominik Perler. Meiner-Verlag, Hamburg 1988 (Philosophical Library Volume 413). ISBN 3-7873-0752-4 . - Latin / German, also contains the text of the condemned theses, with a detailed introduction and extensive bibliography.
  • Nicholas of Autrecourt: His Correspondence with Master Giles and Bernard of Arezzo. A critical edition from the two Parisian manuscripts with an introduction, English translation, explanatory notes and indexes, by Lambert Marie de Rijk. Brill, Leiden 1994. ISBN 90-04-09988-3 . - New text-critical edition and English translation of the letters.

literature

  • Zénon Kaluza: Nicolas d'Autrecourt. Ami de la vérité , in: Histoire littéraire de la France , vol. 42/1, Paris 1995. - Basic study of Nicolaus' life and its historical context.
  • Dominik Perler : Introduction , in: Nicolaus von Autrecourt: Briefe. Newly edited by Ruedi Imbach and Dominik Perler (see text editions), pp. IX-XLVIII. - With a comprehensive bibliography (pp. XLV-XLVIII).
  • Jakob Hans Josef Schneider:  Nicolaus von Autrecourt. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 684-691.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • JR Weinberg: Nicolaus of Autrecourt. A Study in 14th Century Thought. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1948; later edition: Greenwood Press, New York 1969
  • Kurt Flasch : Philosophical Thinking in the Middle Ages. By Augustin zu Machiavelli , Stuttgart ³2013, pp. 538-543.
  • Hans Blumenberg : Die Legitimität der Neuzeit , Frankfurt am Main ²1988, pp. 159–204, especially pp. 195–201; discusses Nicolaus von Autrecourt's philosophy as a sign on the threshold of the Middle Ages and modern times.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Nicolaus from Autrecourt
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nicholas d'Autrécourt; Nicolaus de Autricuria; Nicolaus de Ultricuria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH around 1300
PLACE OF BIRTH Autrecourt at Verdun
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 1369 or July 17, 1369
Place of death Metz