The Question of the Principium Individuationis in the Writings of Duns Scotus. Ordinatio/Lectura: Quaestiones super Libros Metaphysicorum

Abstract

A detailed analysis of the principium individuationis entails a systematic examination of Scotus' Ordinatio and Quaestiones super Libros Metaphysicorum (quaestio 13). In parallel with these two texts, and where necessary, we will compare the Ordinatio with the Lectura , taking account of the context in which Duns Scotus himself sought to compare his own work with that of other thinkers or schools of thought, in order to grasp the originality of the position he adopted. 3.1 The Principium Individuationis : A Medieval Controversy Analysis of the individual and all his or her constituent parts was a subject of great philosophical interest in the thirteenth century, and led scholars to a wide range of disparate solutions. Before analysing the Scotist position on the principium individuationis , it shall be necessary therefore to describe the context and the various factors that affected the approach to the problem. In Scotus' works it is even possible to identify not one but two different solutions, arising from the diverse terminology employed by the author, which underlines the need for continuous hermeneutic reconsideration of the question. 3.1.1 The Factors That Contributed to the Systematic Development of the Dispute