Essential Readings on Intellect and Will - AFS100817

• Title: Essential Readings on Intellect and Will
• Form of teaching: seminar
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Philosophy and Religious Studies (21-UFAR)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2026
• Duration in semesters: 1
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, C [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (30)
• Maximum number of enrolled students: 30
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Additional information: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=18831​
• Repeated enrollment: 2 / 2 / 2 / 2
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: doc. Anna Tropia, Ph.D.

Annotation

SPRING TERM 2026<br>
NB: THIS IS NOT AN ERASMUS COURSE!
NB2: THE COURSE WILL START THE 26th of FEBRUARY, THE FIRST WEEK IS CANCELED


BA course (profilující seminář)
Thursday 10:50-12:25
Room 225

e-mail me for consultation or questions: [e-mail]

What ultimately defines a human being? At the end of the Comedy, Dante claims that “intellect and love” (Paradiso, I, 120) are what constitute the human person. In doing so, he aligns himself with a philosophical tradition according to which human beings possess a rational nature, primarily characterized by two powers: intellect and will.
But what is the relationship between these two faculties? Do they operate harmoniously, as powers of the same soul, or is there a hierarchy between them? This course addresses these questions through a close reading of classical medieval texts on intellect and will. It begins with foundational authors such as Augustine and Anselm and proceeds to the thirteenth century, when debates surrounding “intellectualism” and “voluntarism” emerged and gained increasing prominence.

Last update: Tropia Anna, doc., Ph.D. (10.02.2026)

Aim of the course

This course aims to introduce BA students to the problem of human freedom and will through a selective reading of classical medieval texts. At the end of the course, students will acquire familiarity with the concepts of human will (in relation to intellect, and evil), intellect, freedom of indifference, appetite, habit; they will be able to read and expound on the primary sources discussed in class.

Last update: Tropia Anna, doc., Ph.D. (29.01.2026)

Literature

(more on Moodle)

 

 

Primary Literature

 

Augustine, Confessions, II, chapter 4, section 9 (The theft of the pears)

 

Anselm

 

Thomas, Summa theologiae (ST), IaIIae, q. 8, a. 1 (utrum voluntas creata sit tantum boni)

 

John Duns Scotus, Ordinatio II, d. 43, q. unica (vol. VIII) (utrum voluntas creata possit peccare ex malitia)

 

John Duns Scotus, Ordinatio II, d. 6, q. 1 (the case of the fallen angel)

 

John Duns Scotus, Quaestiones in Metaphysica, IX, q. 15: the will is the only rational power

 

 

Secondary Literature (an example: more on Moodle)

 

 

Alliney G. (2022), “Angeli mali. Ostinazione al male e libertà del bene secondo Duns Scoto”, Quaestio. Journal of the History of Metaphysics, 22, pp. 383-406

 

Hoffman T. (2021) Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy, Cambridge, chapt. 7

 

Hoffmann T. (1999), “The Distinction between Nature and Will in Duns Scotus”, AHDLMA, 66, pp. 189-224

 

Kent B. (1995), Virtues of the Will. The Transformation of Ethics in the Late Thirteenth Century. Washington DC, chap. 3

 

MacDonald S. (2014), “Petit Larceny, the Beginning of All Sin: Augustine’s Theft of the Pears”, in J. Hause (ed), Debates in Medieval Philosophy, New York and London

 

http://www.stoa.org/hippo/comm2.html#CB2C4S9 (online commentary to Augustine, II.4.9)

 

Last update: Tropia Anna, doc., Ph.D. (29.01.2026)

Course assessment methods and requirements for successful completion, grading scheme

Students will be evaluated upon the following parameters:

 

1)    Regular attendance and in-class active participation (regular reading of the texts discussed) will be mandatory.

2)    Final oral exam (more info to be provided in due time) or short essay.

 

Last update: Tropia Anna, doc., Ph.D. (29.01.2026)