Peter Abélard

McCabe, Joseph, 1867-1955Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 431K words
Chapters: 44

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Peter Abélard by Joseph McCabeAuthor: McCabe, Joseph, 1867-1955,Language: English, Class: BX: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Churches, Church movements, Release Date: Apr 25, 2016

Editor's review

This book is a biography of Peter Abélard written by Joseph McCabe, published as a public-domain ebook. Abélard was a major medieval scholastic philosopher and theologian, and his life and intellectual controversies have long drawn interest. McCabe, a writer of popular intellectual history, writes clearly without piling on dense terminology, making this a suitable introductory read for understanding medieval philosophy and the intellectual climate of the Church. The narrative of character, historical background, and intellectual conflict lets readers see how abstract ideas took concrete shape in a person's story. As a public-domain electronic edition, it is easy to search and carry, and also suits classroom reference or book-club discussion. One caveat: the book was written in the early twentieth century, and some historical judgments and formulations carry the limitations of their time; readers should compare it with modern scholarship rather than treat it as the sole authoritative biography.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in medieval philosophy and the history of Christian thought
Students who need to understand Abélard's life and intellectual background
Readers who enjoy intellectual narrative through biography
Organizers selecting titles for public-domain ebook features or book clubs

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers expecting rigorous modern scholarly annotation and up-to-date research reviews
Readers who want only Abélard's own works and no secondary commentary
Readers with no interest at all in religious history or scholastic philosophy

Reading tips

Read the biographical chapters first, then return to the intellectual conflicts; the thread will be clearer.
Jot down the medieval figures and events mentioned for later verification.
Read alongside a modern introduction to medieval philosophy to offset the limitations of its era.
For book clubs, design discussion questions around the relation between reason and faith.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book Abélard's own work?

No. It is a biographical work about Peter Abélard by Joseph McCabe, a secondary account rather than a translation of Abélard's own writings. Readers can treat it as an introductory guide to the figure and his era; to study the ideas themselves, they still need to go back to Abélard's own works and relevant modern translations and annotations.

Can I understand it without a philosophy background?

Yes. McCabe writes in an accessible narrative style, focusing on personal experience and historical background, and does not require prior mastery of scholastic terminology. When you meet unfamiliar concepts, you can skip them at first and follow the main line of the person and the conflicts; if you want to go deeper, supplement the conceptual background with an introductory work.

What should I keep in mind when reading a public-domain electronic edition?

Public-domain ebooks are easy to obtain free and to search, but their editing, textual collation, and annotation are usually inferior to modern scholarly editions. While reading, be mindful of the limitations imposed by the date of composition, and check key historical facts against modern scholarship rather than citing the book's judgments as settled conclusions.

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About the author

McCabe, Joseph, 1867-1955 Author

Joseph McCabe (1867–1955) was a prolific British writer and lecturer who trained for the priesthood in his early years before turning to secularist and rationalist writing. Seven of his works are held here, spanning a wide range of subjects: historical narratives of figures and dynasties such as The Romance of the Romanoffs and Talleyrand: A Biographical Study; a life of the medieval thinker Peter Abélard; and critical examinations of religious institutions and the churches' role in A Candid History of the Jesuits and The War and the Churches. He also wrote Is Spiritualism Based on Fraud?, on the credibility of supernatural belief, and The Story of Evolution, on the development of scientific ideas. His writing is popular in style and aimed at general readers, with a strongly argumentative edge, often combining historical inquiry with a rationalist standpoint; it had some influence in early twentieth-century secularist publishing. Public information is limited, so details of his early life and specific posts are best left unstated.