Contents
Peter Abelard
Developing influential medieval logic and an ethics centred on intention.
Sic et Non · Historia calamitatum
- Born
- c. 1079
- Birthplace
- Le Pallet, France
- Died
- 21 April 1142
More people
Peter Abelard
French philosopher and teacher known for his argumentative method and his relationship and correspondence with Héloïse.
Early life
Scholarly ambition
Born near Nantes around 1079 and pursued learning rather than a military career.
Teachers and debate
Studied with leading masters before challenging their positions in Paris.
Career
- Early 1100s
Teaching logic
Established schools and gained a reputation through philosophical debate.
- 1110s–1120s
Theology and monastic life
Turned increasingly to theology and entered religious life after personal violence.
- 1130s–1142
Writing and controversy
Produced major works of ethics and autobiography while facing theological opposition.
Ideas & writings
Sic et Non
Collected apparently conflicting authorities to encourage careful questioning.
Historia calamitatum
An autobiographical account of his setbacks and intellectual life.
Ethics
Examined intention and consent as central to moral responsibility.
Beyond work
Héloïse
Their relationship, marriage and surviving correspondence became central to his later reputation.
Violence and retreat
Was castrated in an attack organised by Héloïse’s uncle and subsequently became a monk.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Antoni Oleszczyński — later artistic depiction. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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