Ockham on the Virtues
- List Price: $24.95
- Binding: Paperback
- Publisher: Purdue Univ Pr
- Publish date: 03/01/1997
Ockham's views on many subjects have been misunderstood, his views on ethics as much as any. This book is designed to avoid some pitfalls that arise in reading medieval philosophy generally and Ockham in particular.
Wood begins her introduction with an account of what is known about Ockham's life and works and with a discussion of his place in the history of philosophy, followed by a brief general guide to his views. Finally, there is a historical account of the medieval debate on the connection of the virtues, to which Ockham's treatise is an important contribution.
Problems of interpretation are addressed in the commentary, which follows the translation. Translation, commentary, and introduction provide students of Ockham's treatise with what they need to appreciate his stance on ethical issues and to approach his arguments critically.
"The introduction to this excellent book presents an appealing portrait of William of Ockham based on a painstaking review of the biographical evidence.... Much has been written about Ockham's logic, theology, and political ideas; little about his ethics. It merits discussion; Ockham's On the Connection of the Virtues is a rigorous and balanced approach to major questions in medieval virtue ethics....
"Wood accurately translates the critical edition prepared by Fr. Joseph Wey of the Pontifical Institute. The commentary which follows thetext contains countless references to related positions stated by Ockham elsewhere in his corpus and lots of appealing examples. Years of work went into making this a good introduction to a major medieval philosopher and to medieval ethics, Purdue University Press's policy of printing facing-page translation adds greatly to its value". -- Fr.Gedeon Gal, O.F.M., general editor of William of Ockham's Philosophical and Theological Works
