“Obligationes (literally, ‘obligations’) or disputations de obligationibus were a medieval disputation format that became very widespread in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Although their name might suggest they had something especially to do with ethics or moral duty, they did not. The purpose of these disputations was strictly logical. Several kinds of disputations de obligationibus were distinguished in the medieval literature. The most widely studied kind to date was called ‘positio’ (= positing). It is difficult or even impossible to map the genre to the genres of modern logic, but issues involved include at least counterfactual and per impossibile reasoning, and dynamic commitment to remain logically consistent. Disputations de obligationibus appear to lay at the background of the modern practice of the academic ‘thesis defense’ …”
Medieval Theories of Obligationes. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. First published Mon Jul 14, 2003; substantive revision Thu Mar 26, 2020.
First posted 2020-03-27 07:53:54
Leave a Reply