Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- 1 Anselm’s life, works, and immediate influence
- 2 Anselm on faith and reason
- 3 Anselm, Augustine, and Platonism
- 4 Anselm’s philosophy of language
- 5 Anselm on modality
- 6 Anselm’s perfect-being theology
- 7 Anselm and the ontological argument
- 8 Anselm’s account of freedom
- 9 Anselm on truth
- 10 Anselm on ethics
- 11 Anselm on the Trinity
- 12 Anselm on atonement
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Anselm, Augustine, and Platonism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2006
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- 1 Anselm’s life, works, and immediate influence
- 2 Anselm on faith and reason
- 3 Anselm, Augustine, and Platonism
- 4 Anselm’s philosophy of language
- 5 Anselm on modality
- 6 Anselm’s perfect-being theology
- 7 Anselm and the ontological argument
- 8 Anselm’s account of freedom
- 9 Anselm on truth
- 10 Anselm on ethics
- 11 Anselm on the Trinity
- 12 Anselm on atonement
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
When Anselm completed his Monologion, he submitted it to his teacher, Lanfranc, for his approval. Although we do not have the text of Lanfranc's reply, it seems to have called for Anselm to give appropriate sources for his assertions. In response to Lanfranc's criticism, Anselm sought to justify himself this way:
It was my intention throughout this disputation to assert nothing which could not be immediately defended either from canonical Dicta or from the words of St. Augustine. And however often I look over what I have written, I cannot see that I have asserted anything that is not to be found there. Indeed, no reasoning of my own, however conclusive, would have persuaded me to have been the first to presume to say those things which you have copied from my work, nor several other things besides, if St. Augustine had not already proved them in the great discussions in his De trinitate.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Anselm , pp. 61 - 83Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004
- 2
- Cited by