Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PolyphonicPhilosophy (Polyphonic Philosophy: Logic in the Long Twelfth Century (c. 1070-1220) for a New Horizon in the History of Philosophy)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2025-02-28
Histories of philosophy tend to portray philosophy as a solo enterprise: the achievement of exceptionally gifted philosophers, reached by means of their intellectual powers alone. However, for more than fifteen centuries in the West (c.50 BCE–c.1600 CE), a different ‘style’ of philosophy was widespread in the whole Mediterranean area, namely, philosophical commentaries. Commentaries are intrinsically collective enterprises in which many voices harmonise: the authoritative text, the pre-existing tradition of analysis, and the commentator’s own discussion.
PolyphonicPhilosophy aims to study Latin commentaries on logic from a special time in the history of education: the so-called Long Twelfth Century (1070–1220). In this period, extensive commentaries start to be written on works by Aristotle, Porphyry, and Boethius. Important preliminary research has enabled scholars to catalogue more than 200 logical commentaries of varying lengths. Many are still unpublished, but preliminary transcriptions show that they were very sophisticated, with many new ideas being tried out.
But not only are these texts remarkable – the manuscripts in which they are found also have some unique features. Twelfth-century logical commentaries were quickly surpassed and, consequently, circulated in very few manuscripts, all from the twelfth century itself. This seemingly unfortunate situation turns out to be an advantage for research. The few manuscripts encapsulating this whole production (c.40 overall) allow us to jump, so to speak, in the time and context in which the texts were written down. Through these tiny, unadorned books (probably belonging to the teacher himself, or to his students) one can have a direct glimpse into 12th-century school practices. The analysis of these manuscripts is, therefore, the basis for the development of this project, which follows a concrete-to-abstract integrated research design aiming at three objectives:
O1: a comprehensive study of all relevant manuscripts.
O2: editions and studies of mainly unpublished logical texts, comparing them and trying to capture their ‘polyphony’.
O3: meta-analysis of the concepts and methodology used, from an interdisciplinary and historiographical perspective.
The project will impact not only the history of philosophy and history of logic, but also the history of education and history of the book. It will allow a new approach to be tested, based on approaching the same material from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.
PolyphonicPhilosophy aims to study Latin commentaries on logic from a special time in the history of education: the so-called Long Twelfth Century (1070–1220). In this period, extensive commentaries start to be written on works by Aristotle, Porphyry, and Boethius. Important preliminary research has enabled scholars to catalogue more than 200 logical commentaries of varying lengths. Many are still unpublished, but preliminary transcriptions show that they were very sophisticated, with many new ideas being tried out.
But not only are these texts remarkable – the manuscripts in which they are found also have some unique features. Twelfth-century logical commentaries were quickly surpassed and, consequently, circulated in very few manuscripts, all from the twelfth century itself. This seemingly unfortunate situation turns out to be an advantage for research. The few manuscripts encapsulating this whole production (c.40 overall) allow us to jump, so to speak, in the time and context in which the texts were written down. Through these tiny, unadorned books (probably belonging to the teacher himself, or to his students) one can have a direct glimpse into 12th-century school practices. The analysis of these manuscripts is, therefore, the basis for the development of this project, which follows a concrete-to-abstract integrated research design aiming at three objectives:
O1: a comprehensive study of all relevant manuscripts.
O2: editions and studies of mainly unpublished logical texts, comparing them and trying to capture their ‘polyphony’.
O3: meta-analysis of the concepts and methodology used, from an interdisciplinary and historiographical perspective.
The project will impact not only the history of philosophy and history of logic, but also the history of education and history of the book. It will allow a new approach to be tested, based on approaching the same material from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.
Our first objective (O1) is a comprehensive study of all known Latin manuscripts transmitting logical commentaries from the Long Twelfth Century (1070–1220). There are approximately 40 manuscripts of this sort, hosted in almost 30 libraries all around Europe. PolyphonicPhilosophy uses Latin codicology and palaeography to carry out an in-depth analysis of them all. Two years from the start of the project, almost all manuscripts have been analysed de visu at least once, and a detailed scientific description is being prepared of each. In addition, there are specialised contributions focusing on certain manuscripts (such as Padua, Biblioteca Universitaria, 2087) and some of their features (eg. the titles of logical works).
Our second objective (O2) is to edit and study texts, especially unpublished ones, that had never been transcribed from their manuscripts or translated and analysed by scholars before. The aim is to provide an edition of some key texts investigated in the project, not only in print but also in the digital sphere (developing a digital product that tries to ‘capture’ their polyphony). In addition, we aim to study some important issues tackled by these texts, adopting a comparative approach across all commentaries. The resources of, above all, textual criticism, history of medieval logic, and digital humanities are helping team members to develop this line of research. Texts we have been working on include a commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge in a manuscript now in Sankt Gallen and a group of commentaries on the Categories found in six manuscripts now in London, Vatican, Munich, Assisi, and Paris. The discussions investigated range over a variety of topics: from individuals to properties to genera and species (and include the rather weird properties of ‘being-a-genus’ and ‘being-a-species’).
Our third objective (O3) is to investigate the concepts and methodology we are using (for instance, our methodology for describing ‘complex’ manuscripts, or the features of the digital product to be developed), as well as to connect the logical commentaries studied in the project with other disciplines and other time periods (including late ancient commentaries and theological treatises). This additional aim springs from the work on manuscripts, texts, and their digital representations described above.
Our second objective (O2) is to edit and study texts, especially unpublished ones, that had never been transcribed from their manuscripts or translated and analysed by scholars before. The aim is to provide an edition of some key texts investigated in the project, not only in print but also in the digital sphere (developing a digital product that tries to ‘capture’ their polyphony). In addition, we aim to study some important issues tackled by these texts, adopting a comparative approach across all commentaries. The resources of, above all, textual criticism, history of medieval logic, and digital humanities are helping team members to develop this line of research. Texts we have been working on include a commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge in a manuscript now in Sankt Gallen and a group of commentaries on the Categories found in six manuscripts now in London, Vatican, Munich, Assisi, and Paris. The discussions investigated range over a variety of topics: from individuals to properties to genera and species (and include the rather weird properties of ‘being-a-genus’ and ‘being-a-species’).
Our third objective (O3) is to investigate the concepts and methodology we are using (for instance, our methodology for describing ‘complex’ manuscripts, or the features of the digital product to be developed), as well as to connect the logical commentaries studied in the project with other disciplines and other time periods (including late ancient commentaries and theological treatises). This additional aim springs from the work on manuscripts, texts, and their digital representations described above.
After two years of research, PolyphonicPhilosophy has led to a significant increase in our knowledge of the c.40 manuscripts studied in the project. Among other things, one has been discovered to be a palimpsest (that is, a book in which parchment had been written on a first time, then washed and written on again with a different text) and the first text, written under the logical commentary, has been identified (a grammatical text copied down in the 11th century). To give another example, the hand of the same copyist has been found in two separate manuscripts, showing a connection among them (maybe they were once one and the same book). These are just some examples out of many small and big discoveries made by team members in the manuscript reading room, some of which are currently under way.
PolyphonicPhilosophy has also widened our understanding of the texts under analysis. Commentaries which had never even been transcribed from their manuscripts before have been edited, translated, and made available for further research. Investigations into the issues discussed by commentators have shown similarities and connections that had not been suspected before. We are now working towards making this body of texts and relations even more accessible and understandable, thanks to a digital product that will capture the features of both manuscripts and their texts. We are also trying to see our material and our own research in a wider perspective, questioning the methodology applied and investigating beyond the field (for instance, comparing 12th-century commentaries with their late ancient predecessors on certain points; or studying the use of logical notions in non-logical texts).
Together with other projects and initiatives, PolyphonicPhilosophy is contributing to a renewed interest in Latin philosophy from the 12th century, and in medieval logic more broadly (not only Latin). An example of such interest is the 2023 conference of the Italian Society for the Study of Medieval Thought (SISPM – Società italiana per lo studio del pensiero medievale), organised by Luisa Valente, Irene Caiazzo, Cecilia Martini, Luca Bianchi and Caterina Tarlazzi (the PI of PolyphonicPhilosophy): it focused on the many philosophies of the 12th century and attracted a significant number of abstracts and papers.
PolyphonicPhilosophy has also widened our understanding of the texts under analysis. Commentaries which had never even been transcribed from their manuscripts before have been edited, translated, and made available for further research. Investigations into the issues discussed by commentators have shown similarities and connections that had not been suspected before. We are now working towards making this body of texts and relations even more accessible and understandable, thanks to a digital product that will capture the features of both manuscripts and their texts. We are also trying to see our material and our own research in a wider perspective, questioning the methodology applied and investigating beyond the field (for instance, comparing 12th-century commentaries with their late ancient predecessors on certain points; or studying the use of logical notions in non-logical texts).
Together with other projects and initiatives, PolyphonicPhilosophy is contributing to a renewed interest in Latin philosophy from the 12th century, and in medieval logic more broadly (not only Latin). An example of such interest is the 2023 conference of the Italian Society for the Study of Medieval Thought (SISPM – Società italiana per lo studio del pensiero medievale), organised by Luisa Valente, Irene Caiazzo, Cecilia Martini, Luca Bianchi and Caterina Tarlazzi (the PI of PolyphonicPhilosophy): it focused on the many philosophies of the 12th century and attracted a significant number of abstracts and papers.