Who's Who in Philosophy

Example Creation of Magical Artwork

Grifo, a famous maestro affiliated with the Divine realm, is commissioned to paint a wall mural for the bishop of Milan. The Aesthetic Quality of the piece will be 18: Dexterity (+3) + Painter Ability 8 + bonuses (7): Puissant Painter (+2) + the Virtue: Free Expression (+3) + Form Bonus (+2) (Hermetic Inclination in Imaginem, with a score of 10). It will take 2 seasons to paint the mural.

Because of his Hermetic Inclination Virtue, Grifo wants to add a little magical spice to his mural. The mural depicts Christ's crucifixion on Mount Calvary. Grifo would like the sound of weeping to emanate from the mural, blood to appear to seep from Christ's wounds, and the seeping blood to smell. The base level of effect is 3, a Creo Imaginem effect that affects three senses, and the Target is Individual, augmented by 1 magnitude for the size of the wall. Including the constant effect, the final level of effect is 14 (Base 3, +1 Size, +2 magnitudes, +4 levels for constant effect). Grifo's Dexterity (+3) + Painter Ability (8) + Puissant Painter (+2) + Hermetic Inclination: Imaginem (10) is 23. The wall mural is painted in a church with a Divine aura of +3, boosting Grifo's total to 26. Each season, Grifo gains 12 points towards the completion of the magical effect. He finishes instilling the magical effect in 2 seasons, the same length of time it took to paint the fresco. Throughout the two seasons, Grifo is reduced to the Weary Fatigue Level.

A great many influential thinkers contributed to the corpus of knowledge, as expressed and appreciated by medieval schoolmen. Writers tend to build upon information and ideas expressed by their forbearers, either synthesizing different philosophical approaches into one, covering the whole, or refuting one with another. This section is meant to give players a rudimentary idea of the philosophers who are relevant to the thirteenth century, as well as their most influential works, and the main idea of their philosophic argument.

The following list is organized historically, starting with the oldest important authors and proceeding through the philosophers who followed. After a brief historical sketch, each author's important works are listed with the relevant Ars Magica Fifth Edition game statistics. Texts labeled with an asterisk (*) are included in the various medieval curricula found in cathedral school and universities.

The listed books are in Latin (with a few noted exceptions), translated from Greek, Arabic, or Hebrew. Some texts have been translated twice, from Greek to Arabic and then to Latin, with the resulting loss in the text's Quality. This method of translating books twice was common in the twelfth century, but by the thirteenth most translators look for texts in their original language. Reading the text in its original language increases its Quality, and such cases are noted. Rules for translating texts can be found in Chapter Six: Institutional Education.

This list does not include every philosopher or theologian mentioned in Art & Academe, only the most important. Specific references to other philosophers are included to aid readers in their own research, if they care to undertake such pursuits for their saga.

Plato (c. 429-347 BC)

An Athenian-born Greek and student to Socrates, Plato wrote an extensive collection of books, called Dialogues, on a variety of philosophical topics: love, politics, economics, literature, mathematics, and science. His forms and ideas (the universals) are a defining foundation of medieval philosophy.

Timaeus. A cosmological work explaining the nature of things, the whole being a tractatus on Philosophia (metaphysics). The Timaeus itself is not available, and is known through Boethius' commentary (Quality 9)*, and Calcidius' translation (Quality 8).*

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Born in Macedonia and educated in Athens as a student of Plato, Aristotle is the most influential philosopher in western medieval philosophy. His contribution is so great that he was named "The Philosopher" when his works were reintroduced in the twelfth century. Aristotle disagreed with Plato's forms, proposing categories and syllogisms in their place.

*Categories, On Interpretation (*the logica vetus). Each is a tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 10.*

Metaphysics. The first and the third book are both tractatus on Philosophiae, Quality 12. The second book is a tractatus on Pagan Theology, Quality 10.*

Nicomachean Ethics. Ten books equaling a summa on Philosophiae (Moral), Level 6, Quality 10. In 1220, only Books II and III are available in Latin (treat these as a single tractatus reduced to Quality 4).*

On the Soul. Comprised of three books equaling a tractatus on Philosophiae, Quality 10.*

Physics. Comprised of 8 books, a summa on Philosophiae (Natural Philosophy), Level 6, Quality 10.*

Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, *On Sophistical Refutations (*the logica nova). Each is a tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 10.*

(The Quality of all of Aristotle's works are 11 if read in Arabic and 12 if read in the original Greek.)

Euclid (ca. 300 BC)

A Greek mathematician who taught at Alexandria, Euclid's works are the foundation for the study of geometry.

Elementa. 13 books that act as a summa on Artes Liberales, Level 4, Quality 8* (Quality 9 in Greek).

Optica. A tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 8* (Quality 9 in Greek).

Cicero (106-43 BC)

Statesman, orator, and philosopher of Rome, Cicero is considered one of the great writers of antiquity. He believed the liberal arts were the very roots of humanity.

De inventione. Comprised of three books, each a tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 14.*

Ptolemy (mid-second century)

Ptolemy was an astronomer and mathematician teaching at Alexandria. His astrological work is mathematically ingenious, although limited by the observational capabilities of his day. The Almagest is the definitive work on astrology in the thirteenth century, both in the east and the west.

Libri Almagesti. 13 books that in total are a summa on Artes Liberales (astronomy) Level 5, Quality 6* (Quality 7 in Arabic and Quality 8 in Greek).

Plotinus (c. 205-270)

A Roman scholar, Plotinus was the father of Neoplatonism.

Enneads ("The Nines"). Six books of nine sections each that provide the foundation for his metaphysical thought based on Plato's ideas. The whole is a summa on Philosophiae Level 4, Quality 8.

Porphyry (c. 234-c. 305)

Student of Plotinus, Porphyry continued the tradition of applying Neoplatonic concepts to the ideas and religion of pagan antiquity.

Isagoge. Translated into Latin by Boethius, this is a tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 5* (Quality 6 in Greek).

Born a pagan citizen of the Roman Empire, Augustine converted to Christianity in his thirties. A trained rhetorician, and writing at a time when Christian dogma was different between east and west, Augustine wrote prolifically on the nature of God and Christianity, always preferring to prove his beliefs logically. His works are the most authoritative of all the Latin Church Fathers. Besides the philosophies of his predecessors, Augustine relied heavily on the Scriptures, regarding them as God's word.

The City of God. 22 books in total, the first five being a summa on Divine Lore, Level 4, Quality 10. The next five are a summa on Philosophiae, Level 6, Quality 10. And the last twelve are a summa on Theology, Level 6, Quality 10.*

Donatus (late fourth century)

A master grammarian and rhetorician, Donatus is perhaps most famous for being the tutor of St Jerome. His work is the primary source for the study of grammar in the Middle Ages.

Ars grammatica. The first section, the Ars minor, is a summa on Artes Liberales (grammar) Level 4, Quality 15. The second section, the Ars major, is a tractatus on Artes Liberales, Quality 12.*

Macrobius (late fourth, early fifth century)

A philosopher, most likely Roman, Macrobius wrote a commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis that describes the cosmos and life after death for the good-hearted. The commentary's morality, despite its pagan nature, and its astrological information are very popular in 1220.

Commentary on Somnium Scipionis ("The Dream of Scipio"). Two books that act as a tractatus on Artes Liberales (astronomy) Quality 8.

Martianus Capella (early fifth century)

An African-born Roman, Martianus composed his De nuptiis philologiae et Mercurii to be an encyclopedic treatment of the seven liberal arts. Steeped in allegory, the book is also dry and overly pedantic, written in complicated Latin verse and prose. Despite this and its overt pagan nature, the book is used as a school manual for Artes Liberales.

De nuptiis philologiae et Mercurii ("Marriage of Philology and Mercury"). A collection of nine books totaling 1,000 pages. Books I and II are each a tractatus on Philosophiae, Quality 5. Books III through IX deal with Artes Liberales, one book per liberal art, each a tractatus Quality 5.*

Boethius (c. 475-524)

A Roman statesman and Christian, Boethius wrote extensively on mathematics, science, logic, and theology. He translated several of Aristotle's texts, introducing this knowledge to the west. Furthering Plotinus' work, he also firmly attached parts of Christian theology to Neoplatonism. Falling out of royal favor, he was imprisoned and later executed. During his internment, he wrote The Consolation of Philosophy, a vastly influential text on philosophy and metaphysics.

The Consolation of Philosophy. Four books that together make a tractatus on Philosophiae, Quality 9.

Justinian (482-565)

A Byzantine Emperor, Justinian commissioned the Corpus Juris Civilis ("Body of Civil Law"), a massive compilation of all existent Roman laws.

Digest. This section of the Corpus Juris Civilis is a summa on Civil and Canon Law (Civil Law), Level 5, Quality 7.

Institutiones. This second section of the Corpus Juris Civilis is used as a student manual, and is a tractatus compiled by Theophilus and Dorotheus on Civil and Canon Law (Civil Law), Quality 8.*

Priscian (sixth century)

A Roman-born teacher at Constantinople, Priscian wrote a detailed, systematic approach to the Latin language.

Institutiones grammaticae. Comprised of 16 books that form a summa on Artes Liberales (Grammar), Level 5, Quality 9.*

Alcuin of York (c. 735-804)

An Englishman, Alcuin was given the task by Charlemagne of creating and managing the Palace School at Aachen, Charlemagne's capital. A competent and well-read philosopher, Alcuin continued the tradition of placing great emphasis on logic and theological philosophy.

Dialectica. A tractatus on Artes Liberales (Logic), Quality 9.

John Scottus Eriugena (c. 800-c. 877)

An Irishman and excellent Greek translator, John was commissioned to engage in a controversy over predestination, refuting the heretical idea that predestination was of two types: the good predetermined to go to heaven and the wicked to hell. Basing his argument on Augustine and Boethius, John said that predestination is not double, and that God, being good, could not create evil.

Periphyseon ("About Nature"). A summa on Theology based on the Greek and Latin Christian Fathers, Level 4, Quality 8.

Rhazes (al-Razi, 865-924)

A Persian philosopher who wrote extensively on medicine and alchemy. His most influential book — The Virtuous Life (al-Hawi in Arabic) — is only available in the Islamic world, and is an encyclopedia of Medicine, covering anatomy, physiognomy, health, surgery, poisons, and therapeutics. Only Rhazes's alchemical works are available in Latin translation in the thirteenth century, which include, among others:

De salibus et aluminibus. Philosophiae summa, Level 3, Quality 6.

Lumen luminis. Philosophiae Tractatus, Quality 6.

Liber septuaginta. A book of 70 alchemical formulae, Philosophiae summa Level 5, Quality 6.

If read in the original Arabic, increase the Quality of all the mentioned books by +1.

Gerbert of Aurillac/Pope Sylvester II (c. 940-1003)

Surrounded by legend, Gerbert is lauded for his intellectual capabilities by intellectuals and is believed a diabolical wizard by the laity. He was instrumental in setting the stage for twelfth-century translators.

The author of reputedly hundreds of books on philosophy and a major figure in Islamic intellectual development. His only influential book in the West was the Canon of Medicine, which became the authoritative text on Medicine following its translation into Latin by Gerard of Cremona.

Canon of Medicine. Summa Level 6, Quality 8 (Quality 9 in Arabic).*

An Andalusian Jewish poet and philosopher, who was an early teacher of Platonism, and whose Fountain of Life, when translated into Latin, had a large impact on the Scholastic philosophical movement. This work contained no internal evidence that its writer was a Jew.

The Fountain of Life (Meqor Hayyim in Hebrew, Fons Vitae in Latin). Philosophiae Summa Level 4, Quality 11.

St. Anselm (1033-1109)

Philosopher and theologian, and Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm's greatest intellectual achievement was his ontological proof that God exists. He continued Augustine's convictions that reason is never a substitute for faith.

Cur Deus Homo ("Why Did God Become Man?"). A tractatus on Theology, Quality 8.

Proslogion. A tractatus on Theology that explains the nature and self-evident existence of God as "that-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought", Quality 8.*

Gratian (twelfth century)

A canon jurist from Bologna, Gratian compiled a massive work, the Concordia discordantium canonum ("Concord of Discordant Canons"), or simply called the Decretum. Based on the Bible, papal bulls, Roman secular law, and the Church Fathers, this is the primary textbook for the study of Canon Law.

Decretum. Six books that serve as a summa on Civil and Canon Law (Canon Law), Level 5, Quality 11.*

Peter Abelard (1079-1142)

Educated at Paris and Chartres before becoming one of the most controversial masters of the twelfth century, Abelard set the standard for the scholastic method. He was branded a heretic by Bernard of Clairvaux and forced to renounce his theories and burn some of his work.

Scito te Ipsum ("Know Thyself"). An ethical tractatus on sin, Philosophiae, Quality 13.

Collationes. A tractatus recounting the dialogue between a Jewish, pagan, and Christian philosopher concerning the merits of each religion's laws, Theology, Quality 13.

Sic et Non ("Yes and No" or "For and Against"). A summa collecting seeming contradictions from scripture and authoritative texts and their reconciliation, Theology Level 5, Quality 13.

Bernard of Chartres (c. 1070-1130)

Chancellor and instructor at the cathedral school of Chartres, Bernard was a major proponent of Platonic ideas. Like many, he attempted to reconcile Plato with Aristotle, leaning heavily toward the former. He was the teacher of several influential philosophers, including William of Conches.

Bernard Silvestris (1085-1178)

Educated at Chartres and teacher at the cathedral school of Tours, Bernard wrote a vastly popular cosmological poem, presenting an allegorical interpretation of creation.

Cosmographia. A literary tractatus alternating prose and poetry, on the creation of the world. Philosophiae Quality 8.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

A Cistercian monk and verbose defender of the Church, Bernard was decisively anti-intellectual, arguing against the philosophical writings of schoolmen with his mystical interpretations of God. He succeeded in condemning certain theological works of Peter Abelard and others.

William of Conches (c.1100-c. 1150)

Student of Bernard of Chartres and teacher at Paris, William was one of the first twelfth-century theologians to make use of translated Arabic material.

Philosophia Mundi. A summa on Philosophiae that explains how the ancient authorities (Plato and Boethius especially) were allegorically correct, as understood by a Christian. Level 4, Quality 7.

Adelard of Bath (c.1080-c. 1150)

Incurably curious, Adelard extensively traveled Arabic lands, Spain, and the Levant in search of knowledge. More interested in science than theology, Adelard contributed both to the scholastic method and the overall understanding of the natural sciences.

Questiones Naturales. A tractatus on Philosophiae (metaphysics), Quality 9.*

Peter Lombard (c. 1100-c. 1164)

"The Master of Sentences", Peter Lombard was an Italian trained in theology at Bologna, Reims, and then Paris. While teaching at the cathedral school of Notre Dame, he wrote his monumental Quatuor libri Sententiarum, "The Book of Sentences", which covers the entire theological doctrine of Christianity and unites it as a whole.

The Book of Sentences. Book I is a summa on Divine Lore, Level 4, Quality 9, and the remaining three books are a single summa on Theology, Level 5, Quality 9.*

Averroes (Ibn Rushd, 1126–1198)

An Andalusian Islamic philosopher whose major impact on Christian intellectual thought was through his commentaries on almost all of Aristotle's works, which were translated into Latin and were partly responsible for the New Aristotle. He also compiled the books of Galen, which were also restored to the West.

Use Aristotle's works (above) for Averroes' commentaries. The Quality of the various commentaries is 12 if read in Arabic and 11 if read in Latin.

Maimonides (Moshe ben Maimon, 1135–1204)

A Cordovan Jew whose contributions to philosophical and religious thought were hugely influential, but confined to the Jewish community. His most famous work, A Guide for the Perplexed, reconciled Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy.

A Guide for the Perplexed. A summa written in Arabic on Jewish Theology (Level 6, Quality 9) and Philosophiae (Level 3, Quality 9). This book has yet to be translated into Latin in 1220.

Robert Grosseteste (c. 1175 – 1253)

A famed lecturer at Oxford, who will become its first chancellor in 1221. He cares little for Aristotle, but is widely recognized among his peers as a pre-eminent natural philosopher, and sets down many of the experimental procedures for his science, which will be used in years to come. Robert wrote a number of influential scientific treatises between 1220 and 1235:

Artes Liberales Tractatus: De Sphera (astronomy), De lineis, angulis et figuris (arithmetic). All Quality 10.

Philosophiae Tractatus: De luce ("Light"), De accessione et recessione maris ("Tides and Tidal Movements"), De iride ("The Rainbow"). All Quality 10.

Hexaëmeron ("On the Six Days of Creation"), a summa of Philosophiae, Level 5, Quality 11, written in the 1230s.

Latin translation of the Nicomachean Ethics, a summa on Philosophiae (moral), Level 6, Quality 9.

The Bible

Finally, the Bible is an often cited authority, considered the actual Word of God by Christian theologians. For study purposes, the Bible is a summa on Theology (Level 10, Quality 3) and a summa on Church Lore (Level 3, Quality 3).*

Future Philosophers

Great changes are occurring in the thirteenth century in the fields of art and academics. Whether or not your version of Mythic Europe follows these changes is up to you. Historically, the thirteenth century produced some very famous intellectuals. In 1220 they are children, or yet to be born. Art & Academe has purposefully stayed away from their intellectual achievements, presenting an environment on the verge of their influences. Some of their ideas filter in, which is appropriate. Just because they were the first to write a specific theory, doesn't necessarily mean they were the first to think it. Since the scholastic method is built upon all that has gone before it, it is realistic to imagine that some of these ideas were floating loosely in the intellectual environment before being solidified by these writers. Art & Academe highlights the difference between philosophy that is present in 1220, and that which is to come historically. The slightly anachronistic inclusions are presented to add enjoyment to your game, so that you don't have to wait 50 years for an idea that could make an excellent story for your group.

The second reason future philosophers are only slightly mentioned is simple; they may be one of your characters. Art & Academe hopes to enliven and broaden your saga, not make definitive statements on how your version of Mythic Europe must develop. The most notable future philosophers are: Albertus Magnus, a Dominican who taught at Paris (1200-1280); Roger Bacon, a Franciscan who lectured at Oxford (1214-1292); and Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican who fully synthesized Aristotle's categories and Plato's universals with Christian theology (1225- 1274). In 1220, Albert is twenty and possibly studying at Paris, Roger is six and playing with wooden dolls in Somerset, and Thomas is still a gleam in his mother's eye. How, even if, these men mature is up to you.