A Companion to Walter Burley

Book excerpt: Until some thirty years ago, medieval scholars and historians of philosophy have not generally done justice to Walter Burley (ca. 1275-after 1344). On the one hand, he was been misconstrued as holding a mere variation of more moderate realist positions – something that is true only for the first part of his career (before 1324). On the other hand, very often his ideas were studied simply as a means to a better understanding Ockham’s theories, so dwarfing the worth and interest of Burley’s doctrines. On the contrary, in terms of rigour, originality, and influence, Burley was one of the most prominent logicians and metaphysicians of the Middle Ages. This volume, which contains thirteen substantial essays on Burley's philosophy, tries to rectify that situation. It aims to reconstruct Burley’s thought and the role it played in the development of late medieval philosophy, to situate it definitely within its historical and intellectual context, and to clarify its internal evolution. Contributors include: Fabrizio Amerini, E. Jennifer Ashworth, Laurent Cesalli, Alessandro D. Conti, Iacopo Costa, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, Marek Gensler, Elżbieta Jung, Roberto Lambertini, Cecilia Trifogli, Marta Vittorini, and Hans-Ulrich Wöhler.