午夜剧场

It took about four years to finish writing "Introduction to Medieval Philosophy." Despite the hard work I put into it, it has a poor reputation among my family. "Another introductory book?" my family says. I make excuses, saying, "It's a paperback, so I have to consider sales." They tilt their heads and say, "We won't know about sales until later." I quickly escape by saying, "One must never forget their original intention."

My debut work was "The Controversy over Universals: As the Origins of Modernity" (Tetsugaku Shobo, 1992), and its subtitle was "Invitation to Medieval Philosophy 1." Since then, I have written "Manual for Writing a Thesis for a Barely Passing Grade" (Heibonsha Shinsho, 2001) and "A Small Introduction to Ethics" (午夜剧场 Press, 2015). To my family, I apparently look like an expert in introductory books. I pile on more excuses: "But you see, since most of medieval philosophy remains an unexplored land, introductory books aren't bad as guides."

When people hear "medieval philosophy," it seems as if it were a single body of philosophy, but it is a lineage of thought that lasted for about a thousand years in Western Europe. Even if there is a commonality of philosophy in Latin, the content is infinitely varied. The content and terminology vary depending on the location, university, and sect. Moreover, it spans philosophy, theology, ethics, physics, and logic; you cannot talk about medieval philosophy in a single word, and I always have trouble explaining to my family and parents what I am researching.

What I am researching in medieval philosophy is ontology, specifically the influence that Islamic philosophy had on the Western understanding of being. In the theme of this book, "Introduction to Medieval Philosophy," I particularly approached the thought of a Scottish theologian named Duns Scotus (c. 1265–1308).

What he advocated was the univocity of being. He said that being has the same meaning for God and for creatures. It sounds obvious, but it is a complex theory. His theory is exquisitely interesting and has been stirring my heart for a long time.

The reason it becomes complex is that various cultures and thoughts intersect. It is located at the crossroads of Greek philosophy, Christian theology, and Islamic culture. The 13th century, the peak of medieval philosophy, is a scene where one can taste that true essence.

Although it is a paperback, it became a bit thick and ended up being difficult for an introductory book. Please forgive me for that.

Shiro Yamauchi

Chikuma Shinsho

398 pages, 1,265 yen (tax included)

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