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Aristotelianism in John of Salisbury's Policraticus CARY J. NEDERMAN J. BRUCKMANN JOHN OF SALISBURY'Scontributions to the intellectual revival which characterized twelfth-century Western Europe have often been explored.' John stood at the pinnacle of twelfth-century letters, his thought manifesting a reawakened interest in the classics and the Latin literary tradition. Unfortunately, the humanist tenor of thought which emerged from John's writings did not produce many original philosophical insights; too often his work was a simple transcription or restatement of classical views and authorities. As a consequence, modern scholarship on John of Salisbury has concentrated much effort and attention on establishing the textual traditions and sources on which John drew in composing his own treatises. In particular, John came under the influence of four major intellectual traditions: the scriptural and patristic texts which formed the basis for Christian orthodoxy; the work of Latin authorities, literary, juristic and philosophical; previous medieval publicistic and ecclesiastical tracts; and finally, the Aristotelian corpus which was returning to circulation in the West during John's time after its virtual disappearance for centuries. It is the last of these upon which we shall focus our attention. There is little doubt about the presence of Aristotelian ideas in John's thought. Although John died prior to the recovery and translation of most ' For instance, Charles H. Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1927),PP. 99-104; Sidney Painter, "John of Salisburyand the Renaissance of the Twelfth Century," in G. Boas, ed., The Greek Tradition (Baltimore, MD:Johns Hopkins University Press, 1939),pp. 77-89; R.L. Poole,Illustrations in the History of Medieval Thought and Learning, 2nd ed. (New York: Dover, 196o), pp. 176-97; Clement c.J.. Webb, "John of Salisbury,"Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 2 (1894), pp. 97--1ol; and Hans Leibschiitz,Medieval Humanism in the Life and Writings ofJohn of Salisbury (London: The Warburg Institute, 195o). [2o3] 2o4 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY of the Aristotelian corpus, he nevertheless had access to substantial parts of the Organon, Aristotle's writings on language and logic which constituted an essential component of his philosophical system. The Categoriesand On Interpretation were both available in Boethius's Latin translation throughout the Middle Ages. To what extent the literate contemporaries of John of Salisbury had direct access to the other books of the Organonin Latin translation is difficult to ascertain; certainly the earlier opinion, that the totality of the Organon had been received in Latin translation and assimilated in the West by about 1 128, ~ must now be abandoned. It has recently been documented that in numerous logical treatises from major French schools of the middle of the twelfth century, and even some of the second half of the century, the acquaintance with Aristotelian logic is very incomplete? John of Salisbury's own knowledge of the Organonappears to have been better than this. In all probability he knew the Topics, and quite likely the rest of the Organon. In the Metalogicon he himself implies quite clearly that he knows the Topics. Cum itaque tam evidens sit utilitas Topicorum, miror quare cure aliis a maioribus tam diu intermissus sit Aristotilis liber, ut omnino aut fere in desuetudinem abierit, quando etate nostra, diligentis ingenii pulsante studio, quasi a rnorte vel a somno excitatus est, ut revocaret errantes et viam veritatis querentibus aperiret.4 John of Salisbury's claim that he knew the Topics at a time when almost nobody else knew this work is compatible with the view that, in the nfidtwelfth century, the Topicswas much less widely known in the West than we had previously assumed. Even if we were suspicious of the reliability of John's own assertion, his familiarity with the entirety of the Organonemerges quite clearly in the Metalogicon, a treatise devoted to "a thorough study of grammar and logic, including rhetoric, as then offered in the higher educational institutions of northern France. ''5 All of the books comprising the See Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, pp. 345-6; and especially Frederick Copleston, A History ~ WesternPhilosophy:Medieval Philosophy, Part I (Garden City, NY: Doubleday , 196~), pp. ~32- 5. :~ Eleanore Stump, "Topics: Their Development and Absorption into Consequences...

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