Description

The aim of the present edition is to make two texts available which can throw some more light on the role of Aristotle's Metaphysics in 14th-15th academic teaching. One of them contains part of an early (hitherto unknown) version of John Buridan's Questions on Metaphysics, the other is a 15th century abbreviation of precisely this early version. Remarkably, both texts belong to the East European tradition of Buridan's works, which is the more interesting as they testify to the master's earlier activities as a Parisian teacher on the subject of metaphysics. In particular, they elucidate Buridan's ongoing semantic approach to matters of metaphysics and ontology as well as his attitude to Aristotle's authority. L.M. de Rijk (1924) is emeritus professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy of Leiden University. He was a member of the Dutch Parliament (Senate 1956-1991) and is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW}. He is the author of a large number of publications, particularly on ancient and medieval philosophy.