On Being and Cognition

John Duns Scotus (Author) John Duns Scotus was one of the most important philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages. John van den Bercken (Edited & Translated By) Dr. John van den Bercken specializes in philosophy, psychology, and cognition.

Abbreviations Outline of Ordinatio 1.3 Introduction Univocity of being and natural knowledge of God The first object of the intellect The adequate object of the intellect Knowledge and certainty Intellective memory and intelligible species The causes of intellection Trinity in man: trace and image Ordinatio 1.3 Part 1: On the possibility of having knowledge of God by natural means Question 1: Can God be known naturally by the intellect of the wayfarer? Question 2: Is God the first thing naturally known by us in our present state? Question 3: Is God the first natural and adequate object for the human intellect in its present state? Question 4: Can the intellect of the wayfarer know any certain and genuine truth by natural means without any special illumination by the uncreated light? Ordinatio 1.3 Part 2: On the trace of the Trinity Single Question: Is there in every creature a trace of the Trinity? Ordinatio 1.3 Part 3: On the Image of the Trinity Question 1: Does the intellective part of the soul contain memory as having an intelligible species naturally preceding the act of thinking? Question 2: Is the intellective part of the soul, taken properly, or a component of it, the total cause generating actual knowledge or the reason for generating it? Question 3: Is the object, as present in itself or in its species, or the intellective part of the soul the main cause of the production of knowledge? Question 4: Is there an image of the Trinity in our mind? Notes to the translation Further reading References

"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." -- -Richard Cross University of Notre Dame