Abstract
Godfrey of Fontaines was one of the most influential masters of the University of Paris from the last quarter of the thirteenth century. Against Henry of Ghent, for whom theology is endowed with reason that is eminent, universal, and all-encompassing, Godfrey defends the autonomy of philosophical reason within its own domain. In interdisciplinary fields, where theology and philosophy come into contact, he advocates a perspectivist epistemology, and he defends a probabilistic conception of scientific truth. Among the theologians after the Condemnation of 1277, he was one of the most fervent defenders of philosophy. He further develops the theories of masters of the Arts Faculty in the 1270s and employs them against the theologies of contingency that flourished in the interim.
Godfrey of Fontaines was born in the principality of Liège (modern Belgium) shortly before 1250. We know nearly nothing about his life outside the university (Wippel, The metaphysical thought of Godfrey of Fontaines. A study in late thirteenth-century philosophy. Catholic University of American Press, Washington, 1981, pp. xv–xxi). At the University of Paris, however, we know that this secular priest was one of the most famous masters of theology during the last quarter of the thirteenth century. He died c. 1306–1309.
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König-Pralong, C. (2019). Godfrey of Fontaines. In: Lagerlund, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1151-5_193-2
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