Heirs of Aristotle: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Philosophy in the Middle Ages

Dr. David Bradshaw

Professor of Philosophy, University of Kentucky.

Medieval philosophy was remarkably pluralistic. Far from remaining entrenched behind religious lines, medieval philosophers of different religious traditions regularly sought to learn from one another. This was largely because of their common grounding in ancient Greek philosophy, especially Aristotle. This lecture surveys some of the main philosophers of all three religious traditions, pointing out the ways that they provide a model for us today.

Dr. Bradshaw's research focuses on the ways that ancient Greek philosophy shaped medieval philosophy and religious thought and how these, in turn, contributed to the formation of modernity. Most of his work has been on the philosophical roots of the division between the Greek-speaking (eastern) and Latin-speaking (western) branches of Christianity. He is the author of Aristotle East and West: Metaphysics and the Division of Christendom (Cambridge UP, 2004) and of numerous articles on ancient, medieval, and patristic philosophy. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996.

Dr. Bradshaw's lecture was held in the Escondido Theater at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, on April 15, 2015.