In the middle ages 285

as it did so, it carried with it the German genius.

Let us consider each of these in turn.

Latin Averroism differs from scholastic philos-

ophy as the Gothic cathedral differs from the Ara-

bian mosque, — and not as the Cathedral of Amiens

differs from that of Chartres. The conflict be-

tween the one and the other presents two distinct

conceptions of the world and of Hfe, two systems

of metaphysics and of psychology.

The researches of Mandonnet have served to en-

rich our acquaintance with the origin and nature of

these Averroistic doctrines.^^ That they appeared

at Paris about 1256, and that between 1260 and

1270 they were the source of much disturbance to

the Faculty of Arts of the University, are now

clearly established facts. In the philosophic duel

which then was waged between scholasticism and

Latin AveiToism, there appeared Thomas Aquinas

as the champion of the former, and Siger of Bra-

bant, a Fleming who championed the latter and

gathered about him a small number of admiring

followers. To combat the Averroistic doctrines,

all the scholastics united in an alliance, both of-

fensive and defensive, — including also such men as

Roger Bacon."

12 See P. Mandonnet, "Siger de Brabant et I'Averroisme latin

au XIIIв„ўВ« s." in Les Philosophes Beiges, vol VI (1911) and VII

(1908), Louvain.

13 Thomas Aquinas wrote a special treatise entitled De unitate in-

tellectus contra Averroistas. Duns Scotus speaks of Averroes as

"maledictus ille Averroes" (Oxon. IV, d. 43, q. 2, no. 5).

286 PHILOSOPHY AND CIVILIZATION

In this contest we may confine our attention to

two principal doctrines, which the scholastics never

tired of attacking, — namely, the theory of one

single soul for all mankind, and the theory of the

twofold truth. The former has to do with an im-

portant aspect of psychology, and it has signifi-

cant bearings on religion; the latter involves the

relation of philosophy and theology. We shall

treat briefly of each.

This theory of the single intelligence in men

teaches, that all human thoughts occur by virtue of

a single intelligence, which belongs to the race, —

and, as substance, remains in a state of isolation

from the individual human beings. Our personal

thoughts arise, when our individual sense percep-

tions and imaginations are illuminated by this

single intelligence, by virtue of its momentary ac-

tion in union with the sensitive soul (anima sensi-

bilis) in each of us. Furthermore — and as a con-

sequence of this — the soul of mankind is alone en-

dowed with immortality, and the soul or form that

is individual in each of us passes away at death.

Men die; the soul of the race is immortal.

Such a doctrine runs counter to any deep sense

of human personality, by minimizing the individ-

ual aspects of thinking and of religious experience,

— and bj^ eliminating personal immortality. The

bitter struggle of the scholastics against this doc-

trine is therefore readily intelligible as a register-

ing of their profound yearning for, and emphasis