Radical Thinking in the Middle Ages

These volumes present a selection of papers delivered in Paris at the XV International Congress of the Societe Internationale pour l'Etude de la Philosophie Medievale, August 22-26, 2022. The appearance of the term radix positionis in medieval debates inspired the contributors to investigate whether there was something that could be considered radical thought in the Middle Ages and, if so, what the roots of this radical thought were in the different philosophical traditions in various geographical, cultural, religious, and linguistic contexts (Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin). Medieval philosophy often engaged in a quest for origins, but it could also be radical in its methodology or in its attitude when it refused any compromise on its principles or basic concepts, be they innovative or rediscovered. Radicalism could be conceived as extremism in pushing a hypothesis, procedure, or line of inquiry to its limits, leading to extreme positions. Radical thought could mean being intellectually inflexible on principles, obstinate in embracing theses that broke from tradition, progressive but also extremist. The contributions in these volumes thus analyse case-studies of doctrinal conflict, dogmatic struggle, and condemnation by religious or academic institutions, presenting examples of both intellectual courage and philosophical intransigence.