Viduramžių teologas ir etikas Petras Abelaras
The Medieval Theologian and Ethician Peter Abélard

Summary/Abstract: The philosopher and theologian Peter Abélard (1079-1142) was the first medieval thinker who exposed human subjectivity as material for contemplation and a foundation for knowledge acquisition. According to M.-D. Chenu, this way Abélard awakened medieval consciousness. He contributed considerably to metaphysics, logic and ethics. He took a active part in the famous discussion concerning universals, enriching it by several questions: what is there in things which enables us to give them common names; if there are no actually existing universals, what do common names designate; if the things signified by universals cease to exist, would their names still mean the notion we have of these things, etc? He gave a new basis to ethics by valuing intentions more than results. An intention which itself is good can have as its effect a deed bad in itself, or inversely; but the moral act which a good intention dictates is always a good act, just as the one a bad intention dictates is always bad1. But his most controversial achievement was bringing dialectics to theology in order to check the dogmas of the Church.

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