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Duns Scotus, John

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Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy

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Introduction

Born in Duns, Scotland, in 1266, Duns Scotus was a Franciscan friar who taught in Oxford and died in 1308. Known as the “Subtle Doctor,” he was influential for Franciscan school of late Medieval philosophy and theology. The Franciscan voluntarist tradition focuses on the will as central to any discussion of human rational freedom. Informed by the Augustinian tradition, this focus on the will maintains that love is superior to knowledge in terms of human excellence and perfection.

Throughout his teaching career, Scotus lectured on Peter Lombard’s Sentences at three different times, producing three distinct versions: Lectura (earliest teachings), Ordinatio (over several years, this version was reviewed and edited by Scotus for eventual publication), and Reportatio Parisiensis (comprised of student notes from his lectures). In addition, he authored philosophical commentaries on Aristotle’s logic, Questions on the Metaphysics, Secundum et Tertium De Anima, Theoremata, and De...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Franciscan School of Theology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Mary Beth Ingham

Authors
  1. Mary Beth Ingham
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Correspondence to Mary Beth Ingham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Regents Professor of the University, System of Maryland and Director of the University of Baltimore Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Professor for Legal and Social Philosophy, Department of Legal Theory International and European Law, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Law, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Gianfrancesco Zanetti

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Ingham, M.B. (2023). Duns Scotus, John. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6519-1_885

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