Cursus PHILOSOPHICUS
John Poinsot, O.P., also known as Joannes a Sancto Thoma (1589–1644) wrote two major works in his lifetime: the Cursus Theologicus, on which incomplete text he worked from 1635 until 1643, when he was requested to become counselor and Royal Confessor to King Philip IV of Spain. While attending to this new duty, Poinsot is striken with fever and dies on 17 June 1644, a few weeks shy of his 55th birthday. Poinsot’s other major work, the Cursus Philosophicus, was written between 1631–1635, and has the distinct advantage of being relatively complete.
Though more or less continually in print since his own life, the text received little attention until the late nineteenth century—being seen as merely one among many other such cursus penned during the later period of scholasticism. However, in the Thomistic revival which captured the attention of Pope Leo XIII, among others, Ludovico Vives republished both of Poinsot’s Cursus in the 1880s. The Cursus Philosophicus gained the attention of not only Jacques Maritain (who considered Poinsot second of his teachers only to St. Thomas himself) but also Beatus Reiser, O.S.B. In the 1930s, Reiser published a more polished and critically-evaluated text of Poinsot’s Cursus Philosophicus with Marietti. This edition was republished in 2008 by Olms Verlag. Unfortunately, copies of the Marietti are both rare and often printed on acid-laden paper (that is, paper quick to deteriorate); and the Olms Verlag edition was prohibitively expensive for most individuals.
It is, therefore, the great joy of the Lyceum Institute to bring for the first time into an affordable copy the Reiser-edited edition of Poinsot’s Cursus Philosophicus. Reiser’s edition was printed in three volumes; for ease of printing and cost-considerations, we have divided this into five (I-I, I-II, II-I, II-II, and III).
The first (I-I) contains the Prima Pars Artis Logicae, i.e., the formal logic. The second (I-II) contains the Secunda Pars Artis Logicae, or material logic. The third (II-I) contains the Philosophiae Naturalis Prima Pars, structured as a commentary on the eight books of Aristotle’s Physics (but containing much beyond the text of Aristotle alone), or on mobile being in general. The fourth (II-II) contains the Philosophiae Naturalis Tertia Pars, a commentary on several of the minor works of Aristotle concerning corruptible mobile being. The Philosophiae Naturalis Secunda Pars, concerning incorruptible mobile being, was never published, seemingly having been suppressed by Poinsot himself after the second condemnation of Galileo’s teaching. The fifth and final volume (III) contains the Philosophiae Naturalis Quarta Pars, on ensouled mobile being, as well as the indices compiled by Reiser (including scriptural references, references to Aristotle and St. Thomas, persons, and topics).
The total cost for all 5 printed volumes (3 tomes), before tax, is $88.70. They are also available here to download free in PDF. PLEASE DONATE AT THE LINK BELOW IF YOU DOWNLOAD! Any amount is appreciated.
Brief Table of Contents
- I-I: Prima Pars Artis Logicae.
- I-II: Secunda Pars Artis Logicae
- II-I: Philosophiae Naturalis Prima Pars
- II-II: Philosophiae Naturalis Tertia Pars
- III: Philosophiae Naturalis Quarta Pars & Indices.
cursus philosophicus – complete volumes
CURSUS PHILOSOPHICUS (I-I): PRIMA PARS ARTIS LOGICAE
In this first part of his Cursus Philosophicus, the Prima Pars Artis Logicae, Poinsot introduces the art of dialectic, provides a summary of formal logic, and investigates disputed questions concerning the more difficult issues in formal logic.
CURSUS PHILOSOPHICUS (I-II): SECUNDA PARS ARTIS LOGICAE
In the Secunda Pars Artis Logicae of his Cursus Philosophicus, Poinsot takes up material logic, giving an overview of its doctrine, followed by expositions of Porphyry’s Isagoge and Aristotle’s logical works of the Categories, On Interpretation, Prior Analytics, and Posterior Analytics.
CURSUS PHILOSOPHICUS (II-I): PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS PRIMA PARS
In the Philosophiae Naturalis Prima Pars, Poinsot discusses mobile being in common, with a prefatory section discussing the science of philosophy and the order of cognition, followed by a commentary on the eight books of Aristotle’s Physics.
CURSUS PHILOSOPHICUS (II-II): PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS TERTIA PARS
In the Philosophiae Nautralis Tertia Pars, John continues his commentary on Aristotle, focusing on corruptible mobile being, proceeding through the two books of On Generation and Corruption and On Meteorology.
CURSUS PHILOSOPHICUS (III): PHILOSOPHIAE QUARTA PARS
In this, the final volume of his Cursus Philosophicus, containing the Philosophiae Naturalis Quarta Pars, Poinsot provides a twofold commentary on Aristotle’s On the Soul: covering the first two books in one, focused on animate mobile being in common; and attending in the other, through commentary on book three, to the intellective soul in particular. This volume also contains the indices to the whole of the Cursus.
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