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Pierre AbelardFrench philosopher, theologian and poet
Country:
 France |
Biography of Pierre Abelard
Pierre Abelard was a French philosopher, theologian, and poet. He developed a doctrine that later became known as conceptualism and played a significant role in scholastic dialectics with his work "Sic et Non" ("Yes and No"). Abelard's rationalist approach of "understanding in order to believe" sparked protests from orthodox church circles, leading to his condemnation by church councils in 1121 and 1140.
Abelard was born in the vicinity of Nantes into a noble family. Despite being the eldest, he chose a career as a scholar and relinquished his right of primogeniture to his younger brother. He made his way to Paris and became a student of the Catholic theologian and philosopher Guillaume de Champeaux. Abelard openly and boldly began to oppose his teacher's philosophical concepts, which greatly displeased Guillaume. As a result, Abelard left the cathedral school and decided to establish his own.
His school quickly garnered many students, and Abelard's lectures became highly popular. In Paris, as in other cities in Northeastern France, there was a fierce struggle between representatives of different philosophical schools. Medieval philosophy was divided into two main directions: realism and nominalism.
Roscellinus, Abelard's teacher, was the founder of medieval nominalism, while Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the mentor of theologian Anselm of Laon, represented realism. Anselm's closest disciple, Guillaume de Champeaux, who was Abelard's philosophical rival, advocated for realism. Medieval realism, which argued for the "reality" of the existence of objects of faith, aligned with the interests of the Catholic Church and received its full support.
Nominalists opposed the realists and put forward the idea that all universal concepts and ideas (universals) were merely names ("nomia") for things that existed and preceded the concepts. The denial of independent existence of universal concepts by nominalists paved the way for the pursuit of empirical knowledge. The Church immediately recognized the danger in the teachings of nominalists and condemned their views as heretical at a church council in Soissons in 1092.
Returning to Paris from Laon in 1113, Abelard resumed teaching philosophy. In 1118, he was invited to be a tutor at a private house, where he became involved in a love affair with his student, Heloise. Abelard took Heloise to Brittany, where she gave birth to their son. However, the secret marriage was exposed when Heloise's guardian, Fulbert, spread the news. Abelard then took Heloise to the convent of Argenteuil. Fulbert falsely accused Abelard of forcibly making Heloise a nun and, bribing hired men, ordered Abelard's castration.
The philosopher entered the Abbey of Saint-Denis and resumed his teaching activities. A church council held in Soissons in 1121 condemned Abelard's views as heretical and forced him to publicly surrender his theological treatise to be burned. Upon returning to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Abelard immersed himself in reading monastic manuscripts, spending several months engaged in this activity.
In 1126, Abelard received news from Brittany that he had been elected as the abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Gildas. Ill-prepared for the role of a leader, he quickly deteriorated his relationship with the monks and fled from the Abbey of Saint-Gildas.
Returning from Brittany to Paris, Abelard settled on the Hill of Sainte-Geneviève. As before, his lectures attracted a large number of listeners, and his school once again became a center for public discussions on theological problems. Abelard's book "The Story of My Misfortunes" contributed significantly to his popularity. During this time, his works such as "Dialectica," "Introduction to Theology," "Know Yourself," and "Yes and No" gained the greatest recognition among scholars and masters of the "liberal arts."
The main principle of Abelard's ethical concept was the affirmation of complete moral responsibility of individuals for their actions, whether virtuous or sinful. A person's actions are determined by their intentions, and no action in itself is inherently good or evil. Everything depends on intentions. In line with this, Abelard believed that pagans who persecuted Christ did not commit any sinful actions since their actions were not in conflict with their convictions. Similarly, ancient philosophers, though not followers of Christianity, acted in accordance with their high moral principles and were not sinful. The overall spirit of Abelard's teachings made him the worst heretic in the eyes of the Church.
Bernard of Clairvaux initiated a new church council in 1140, which was attended by representatives of the clergy and King Louis VII of France. The council condemned Abelard's writings and requested Pope Innocent II to condemn Abelard's heretical teachings, persecute his followers, prohibit Abelard from writing and teaching, and destroy his books.
In poor health and broken spirit, the philosopher retired to the monastery of Cluny. In 1141-1142, Abelard wrote the "Dialogues between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian." In this work, he advocated for the idea of religious tolerance, asserting that each religion contains a grain of truth, and therefore, Christianity cannot claim to be the only true religion.
Pierre Abelard passed away on April 21, 1142. Heloise transferred his remains to the Paraclete and laid him to rest there.
