Arabic Authors and Works cited by Albert the Great: the Case of the Commentaries on Aristotle's Metaphysics and Porphyry's Isagoge

Titolo in italiano: Autori e opere arabe citate da Alberto Magno: il caso dei Commenti alla Metafisica di Aristotele e all'Isagoge di Porfirio

1 Research Collaborator position
(Deadline February 9th, 2024 13:00 )
Fields

 

History of Medieval Philosophy; Latin philosophy; Arabic philosophy; Albert the Great

Profile

 

The logic, physics, and metaphysics of the prime Arabic philosophers of the Middle Ages, namely al-Farabi, Averroes, Avicenna and al-Ghazali, play a pivotal role in Albert the Great's (= AtG, d. 1280) philosophical commentaries, as well as in his theological works. AtG is deeply aware of the peculiar relationships that link these four authors as they have been known to Latin readers. In general, AtG acutely grasps the different options at stake in the dispute between the strictly Aristotelian agenda of Averroes and al-Farabi and the more encompassing Peripatetic approach of Avicenna and al-Ghazali. This articulated influence will be investigated in three ways. (1) AtG’s commentaries on Porphyry’s Isagoge and on Aristotle’s Metaphysics show that Arabic-Islamic philosophy not only governs AtG’s interpretation of the beginning and the end of the philosophical corpus, but also encapsulates his entire philosophical system into an inter-cultural framework. (2) The exponents of Arabic-Islamic philosophy represent a considerable share of the authros and works quoted by AtG in these two works. (3) The influence of al-Farabi, Averroes, Avicenna, and al-Ghazali will also be studied transversally, in writings belonging to different stages of AtG’s evolution and to different disciplines (philosophy, theology, Biblical exegesis etc.).

Activity

 

The contract holder will be responsible for a complete inventory of all the authors and works (Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Latin) quoted in AtG’s Commentary on the Metaphysics, as a very much needed complement of the incomplete indexes of the 1960 critical edition of the work. The sources and contexts of AtG’s quotations will be clarified, with recourse to parallel quotations in other works of Atg. On this basis, with the support of the careful indexes of AtG’s Commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge, and the existing bibliography, the contract holder will show the relevance of AtG’s recourse to Arabic-Islamic authors in these two works. The results of the research activity are planned to be published in a specialized journal of Manuscript Studies or History of Medieval Philosophy.

Formal requirements

 

  • Master Degree in History of Philosophy or equivalent degree in Humanities;
  • The contract holder should possess documented competence in history of medieval philosophy, with special regard to the thought of Albert the Great and his sources;
  • Fluency English

 

Specific requirements

 

  • Knowledge of Greek and Latin;
  • Knowledge of Arabic-Islamic philosophy;
  • Acquaintance with Arabic
Gross amount

€ 19.450,00

Duration

12 months, renewable

SSD

M-FIL/08 - STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA MEDIEVALE

Project

 

PRIN 2022 “Itineraries of Philosophy and Science from Baghdad to Florence: Albert the Great, his Sources and his Legacies” (codice UGOV: P0298; Codice MUR: 20225LFCMZ; CUP: D53D23014840006)

Job Research Unit: 
PhiBor
Job Contract Type: 
Assegno di ricerca
Full call

 

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  • Your CV in English (compulsory)