Peter Abelard
A medieval scholastic philosopher and theologian, famous for his intellectual prowess and tragic love affair.
Most quoted
"I preferred the weapons of dialectic to all the other teachings of philosophy, and armed with these I chose the conflicts of disputation instead of the trophies of war."
— from Historia Calamitatum
"We call the intention good which is right in itself, but the action is good not because it contains within it some good, but because it issues from a good intention."
— from Ethics (Scito Teipsum)
"We set forth the various opinions of the Fathers, not to decide the question, but to provoke the young readers to the maximum effort in seeking the truth."
— from Sic et Non
All quotes by Peter Abelard (153)
Virtue is the habit of a well-ordered mind.
The greatest good is a good will; the greatest evil, an evil will.
The intention, not the deed, is in our power.
Words were invented to signify things or concepts.
Universals are nothing but words.
A universal is a word that can be predicated of many.
It is not the thing that is universal, but the word.
The wise man is the one who knows the causes of things.
To live well is to live according to reason.
The soul is the form of the body.
The true philosopher is a lover of God.
Theology without philosophy is sterile; philosophy without theology is blind.
I am not one who, when he has solved a problem, rests content; I am one who raises new difficulties from the solution.
Contemporaries of Peter Abelard
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Peter Abelard (1079–1142).