Term 3 will focus on Middle to Late Medieval Philosophy from about 1100s–1500s. This period was dominated by Scholasticism. Scholasticism was not about a set of beliefs. It was a medieval European educational and philosophical method. This scholastic method aimed to reconcile classical philosophy with Christian theology using rigorous deductive logic based on established, authoritative texts.
These slides are for people who attended the meeting. They are just an aide to discussion. They will be of little use if you did not attend.
Sunday 19th July 2026 at 5pm: Aristotle and the scholastic method 1: Logic
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: What did Anselm mean by the motto "Faith seeking understanding"?
This week will be a basic introduction to the Scholastic method. This method drew heavily on Aristotle's philosophy. Take a look at the following short videos.
Sunday 26th July 2026 at 5pm: Aristotle and the scholastic method 2: Disputation.
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: Why were disputations so important for the Scholastics?
Take a look at the following video to see an example of a disputation.
Sunday 2nd August 2026 at 5pm: "This is my body:" what happens in the Eucharist?
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: What does transubstantiation mean?
Sunday 9th August 2026 at 5pm: What is a human being?
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: Are we souls inhabiting bodies, or embodied persons?
Sunday 16th August 2026 at 5pm: Education during the Middle Ages
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: What was Education like, inside and outside of universities, during the Middle Ages?
Sunday 23rd August 2026 at 5pm:
No meeting this week because it is the MCC Church AGM
Sunday 30th August 2026 at 5pm:Who was Hildegard of Bingen?
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: What did Hildegard of Bingen mean by the term "viriditas"
Sunday 6th September 2026 at 5pm:
The topic for this week is "Natural Law from Thomas Aquinas to Francisco Suárez."
Sunday 13th September 2026 at 5pm:
No meeting this week because it is the MCC Church Camp weekend
In Term 2 the focus was a on Early Medieval Philosophy
Early medieval philosophy is the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the late 12th century, characterised by the effort to reconcile Christian faith with classical Greek reasoning. During this era, philosophy was often considered the "handmaiden of theology," a tool used to better understand religious doctrines
Sunday 3rd May 2026 at 5pm: Introduction to Early Medieval Philosophy
Useful Links
Sunday 10th May 2026 at 5pm: Augustine I - Augustine's Confessions - Influences, conversion, memory and time.
Useful Links
Sunday 17th May 2026: Augustine II — love, desire, and the search for wholeness
Sunday 24th May 2026 5pm: Boethius and the problem of universals.
Useful Links
Sunday 31st May: Desert Fathers and Mothers (using Rowan Williams, Silence and Honey Cakes)
Sunday 7th June: Bede — scripture, history, and the Christian imagination
Sunday 14th June: The Nature of God and the problem of evil
Sunday 21st June 2026: The problem of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom
QUESTION: Are we souls inhabiting bodies, or embodied persons?
