IMC 2007: Sessions

Paper b: Petrus Hispanus was one of the first medieval authors to introduce scholasticism in medical commentaries. This paper intends to analyse his intellectual trajectory from the Faculty of Arts in Paris to his medical teaching in the University of Siena around the middle of the 13th century. It also explores the notion of auctoritas which was the epistemological horizon of scholasticism. The commentaries present the diverse authorities of the past, philosophers or physicians, which provide a more detailed picture of his teaching practices and intellectual programme. The quaestiones in the classroom gave the opportunity to master Petrus Hispanus to dialogue with other texts in an articulate discourse. His medical commentaries show his ability to confront the different situations of medical practice from the perspective of a science based on authority interpreted by reason.
Paper-c: This paper presents aspects of medieval thinking about seeing, colour and 'seeing colour' drawn from classical and biblical models (including Aristotle's De Anima, Plato's Timaeus, Augustine's Commentary on Genesis) and traces their influence upon fourteenth century armorial works (including De Bados' Tractatus de Armis) in which the question 'Which colour is the most honourable?' is articulated and discussed.