Sylvester Mauro, S.J. (1619-1687) noted that human intellects can grasp ‘what is, what is not, what can be, and what cannot be’. The first principle, ‘it is not possible that the same thing simultaneously be and not be,’ involves them all. The present volume begins with Greeks distinguishing ‘being’ from ‘something’ and proceeds to the late Scholastic doctrine of ‘supertranscendental being,’ which embraces both. On the way is Aristotle’s distinction between ‘being as being’ and ‘being as true’ and his extension of the latter to include impossible objects. The Stoics will see ‘something’ as the widest object of human cognition and will affirm that, as signifiable, impossible objects are something, more than mere nonsense. In the sixteenth century, Francisco Suárez will identify mind-dependent beings most of all with impossible objects and will also regard them as signifiable. By this point, two conceptions will stand in opposition. One, adumbrated by Averroes, will explicitly accept the reality and knowability of impossible objects. The other, going back to Alexander of Aphrodisias, will see impossibles as accidental and false conjunctions of possible objects. Seventeenth-century Scholastics will divide on this line, but in one way or another will anticipate the Kantian notion of ‘der Gegenstand überhaupt.’ Going farther, Scholastics will see the two-sided upper border of being and knowing at God and the negative theology, and will fix the equally double lower border at ‘supertranscendental being’ and ‘supertranscendental nonbeing,’ which non-being, remaining intelligible, will negate the actual, the possible, and even the impossible.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Sprouts from Greek Gardens: Antisthenes, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics
Chapter 2
Suarez on Beings of Reason and Truth
Chapter 3
Extrinsic Cognoscibility
Chapter 4
Impossible Objects
Chapter 5
The Teleology of Impossible Objects
Chapter 6
Beings of Reason and Imagination
Chapter 7
Four Degrees of Abstraction
Chapter 8
From Transcendental to Transcendental
Chapter 9
Supertranscendental Nothing
Chapter 10
Wrestling with a Wraith
Chapter 11
The Borders of Knowability
Chapter 12
Conclusion
Bibliography
Indices
This volume draws our attention to a still neglected, but important period in the history of philosophy and to an equally important topic that directly leads into the heart of traditional metaphysical debates. One can only hope that more scholars will devote their attention to this fascinating period. John Doyle's works will be of invaluable help for them.
Thomas Dewender, Bochumer Philosophisches Jahrbuch für Antike und Mittelalter 18 (2015)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "On the Borders of Being and Knowing" about?
Sylvester Mauro, S.J. (1619-1687) noted that human intellects can grasp ‘what is, what is not, what can be, and what cannot be’. The first principle, ‘it is not possible that the same thing simultaneously be and not be,' involves them all. The present volume begins with Greeks distinguishing ‘being' from ‘something' and proceeds to the late Scholastic doctrine of ‘supertranscendental being,' which embraces both. On the way is Aristotle's distinction between ‘being as being' and ‘being as true' and his extension of the latter to include impossible objects. The Stoics will see ‘something' as the widest object of human cognition and will affirm that, as signifiable, impossible objects are something, more than mere nonsense. In the sixteenth century, Francisco Suárez will identify mind-dependent beings most of all with impossible objects and will also regard them as signifiable. By this point, two conceptions will stand in opposition. One, adumbrated by Averroes, will explicitly accept the reality and knowability of impossible objects. The other, going back to Alexander of Aphrodisias, will see impossibles as accidental and false conjunctions of possible objects. Seventeenth-century Scholastics will divide on this line, but in one way or another will anticipate the Kantian notion of ‘der Gegenstand überhaupt.' Going farther, Scholastics will see the two-sided upper border of being and knowing at God and the negative theology, and will fix the equally double lower border at ‘supertranscendental being' and ‘supertranscendental nonbeing,' which non-being, remaining intelligible, will negate the actual, the possible, and even the impossible.
Who wrote "On the Borders of Being and Knowing"?
"On the Borders of Being and Knowing" was written by John P. Doyle.
John P. Doyle is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Saint Louis University and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri.
Who edited "On the Borders of Being and Knowing"?
"On the Borders of Being and Knowing" was edited by Victor Salas.
Victor M. Salas is an associate professor of Philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Is "On the Borders of Being and Knowing" part of a series?
Yes, "On the Borders of Being and Knowing" is part of the "Ancient and Medieval Philosophy - Series 1" series. It's book 44 in the series.
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy - Series 1 presents state-of-the-art research on the history of Western thought from its origins to the beginnings of modernity.
In association with The De Wulf-Mansion Centre.
About the Series
The series' focus lies primarily on the continuity and thematic transitions between ancient, medieval and renaissance thought, but also includes volumes on specific topics related to any of those periods. ‘Philosophy' is understood broadly to include metaphysics, ethics, natural philosophy, epistemology and philosophy of mind, and philosophical theology. Since the series is particularly devoted to making available Latin and Greek source texts, we welcome critical text editions as well as contributions that are based on philological scrutiny of those texts, without losing sight of their philosophical importance.
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy - Series 1 aims to publish at least two volumes a year and accepts monographs as well as thematically coherent edited volumes in English (without excluding the possibility of French, German, or Italian contributions to edited volumes). Manuscripts should be 80.000 to 120.000 words in length.
Readership
Researchers and graduate students in ancient, medieval and renaissance philosophy, in classics and in history.
Editorial Coordinator
Russell Friedman, KU Leuven, Belgium
Editorial Board
Pieter Beullens, KU Leuven, Belgium
Lisa Devriese, KU Leuven, Belgium
Pieter d'Hoine, KU Leuven, Belgium
Jan Opsomer, KU Leuven, Belgium
Jenny Pelletier, KU Leuven, Belgium
Andrea Robiglio, KU Leuven, Belgium
Carlos Steel, KU Leuven, Belgium
Gerd Van Riel, KU Leuven, Belgium
Advisory Board
Brad Inwood, Yale Universityo, USA
Jill Kraye, The Warburg Institute, London, United Kingdom
John Marenbon, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Lodi Nauta, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Timothy Noone (†) , The Catholic University of America, USA
Robert Pasnau, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
Martin Pickavé, University of Toronto, Canada,
Pasquale Porro, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Geert Roskam, KU Leuven, Belgium
Proposals
Proposals and enquiries can be sent to editorial coordinator Russell L. Friedman. Please send a preliminary abstract (3-4 pp.) and a short bio. Upon approval of this abstract, the full manuscript will be submitted to international peer review.
Please make use of the submission form to present the full manuscript to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.
Links & Resources
What is the Table of Contents for "On the Borders of Being and Knowing"?
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Sprouts from Greek Gardens: Antisthenes, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics
Chapter 2
Suarez on Beings of Reason and Truth
Chapter 3
Extrinsic Cognoscibility
Chapter 4
Impossible Objects
Chapter 5
The Teleology of Impossible Objects
Chapter 6
Beings of Reason and Imagination
Chapter 7
Four Degrees of Abstraction
Chapter 8
From Transcendental to Transcendental
Chapter 9
Supertranscendental Nothing
Chapter 10
Wrestling with a Wraith
Chapter 11
The Borders of Knowability
Chapter 12
Conclusion
Bibliography
Indices
What is the DOI for "On the Borders of Being and Knowing"?
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "On the Borders of Being and Knowing" is 10.11116/9789461660688.
Related titles
Orality and Scribal Culture in the High Middle Ages
Timothy B. Noone (Author), Mark J. Clark (Author),
October 2026
Petri Thomae Quaestiones de formis
Petrus Thomae (Author), Garrett R. Smith (Editor),
September 2026
Summa (Quaestiones ordinariae) art. LXXIII – LXXV
Henry of Ghent (Author), Gordon Wilson (Editor), Juan Carlos Flores (Editor),
August 2026
The Medieval Aristotle
Nena Bobovnik (Editor), Clelia V. Crialesi (Editor), Lisa Devriese (Editor),
August 2026
Thomas Aquinas and Hervaeus Natalis on Concepts and Intentional Objects
Fabrizio Amerini (Author),
February 2026
Epicureanism and Scientific Debates. Epicurean Tradition and its Ancient Reception
Francesca Masi (Editor), Pierre-Marie Morel (Editor), Francesco Verde (Editor),
November 2024
Quaestiones de divinis praedicamentis XXVIII-XXXII
James of Viterbo (Author), Mark D. Gossiaux (Editor), Christopher D. Schabel (Editor),
June 2024
Summa (Quaestiones ordinariae) art. LXIII-LXVII
Henry of Ghent (Author), Gordon Wilson (Editor), Girard Etzkorn (Editor), Bernd Goehring (Editor), Linda N. Etzkorn (Assisted by),
February 2024
Epicureanism and Scientific Debates. Antiquity and Late Reception
Francesca Masi (Editor), Pierre-Marie Morel (Editor), Francesco Verde (Editor),
August 2023
Questiones super I-VII libros Politicorum
Peter of Auvergne (Author), Marco Toste (Editor),
December 2022
Neo-Thomism in Action
Wim Decock (Editor), Bart Raymaekers (Editor), Peter Heyrman (Editor),
December 2021