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Articles

Abelard & Carneades: Yes & No

Frank Breslin says ‘yes and no’ to presenting both sides of an argument.

Should you have antiquarian interests, at some point you may want to read the medieval treatise Sic et Non written in 1120 by French theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142 CE). It is a no-nonsense guide to critical thinking during the early Middle Ages. Merely reading its 158 theological questions would have been an education in itself for twelfth century university students, as within just a few minutes they would have discovered the kinds of questions that were routinely studied during that time.

Abelard

If they had been fortunate (that is, rich) enough to own a copy of this book before the age of printing, they could have chosen any question that interested them about God and Christianity, and found both pro and con arguments by authorities, that would at first glance have seemed equally convincing.

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