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In On Being and Cognition, the first complete translation into English of a pivotal text in the history of philosophy and theology, Scotus addresses fundamental issues concerning the limits of human knowledge and the nature of cognition by developing his doctrine of the univocity of being, refuting skepticism and analyzing the way the intellect and the object cooperate in generating actual knowledge in the case of abstractive cognition. Throughout the work Scotus is in discussion with important theologians of his time, such as Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, and Godfrey of Fontaines. Anyone interested in the pertinent philosophical problems will find in this book the highly sophisticated and subtle answers of a giant in the history of thought.
The massive third distinction of the first book of Scotus’s Ordinatio represents the fullest systematic treatment of cognitive psychology and philosophy of mind produced in the Middle Ages. This superb translation renders the whole text into clear, stylish, and felicitous English. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in medieval theories of mind and knowledge.