Posted: April 11th, 2015

second essay

Using selections from Inferno and Paradise, discuss how Dante incorporates the ideas of Thomas Aquinas on Reason and Revelation into his work. Canto 4 of Inferno works well in this respect, but feel free to use other parts of Inferno. Canto 1 and 28 of Paradise work very well. Use Aquinas’ texts as a resource if you like.

Discuss Petrarch’s attitudes towards the pursuit of truth and understanding. How does he define the proper goals of an intellectual life? What does he think of Aristotelian logic and Scholasticism?

Consider the intellectual relationship between William of Ockham and Aquinas. How does Ockham stress the absolute power of the Christian god?