Nové vymezení středověké filosofie - Latinský věk (354-1664) jako éra znaků – Deely John (2025)

John Deely (1942-2017) recounts the history of Latin thought from the perspective of the development of semiotics, which he considers one of the fundamental contributions of Latin civilization. Deely unravels its struggles from the time of Augustine through scholasticism to the first half of the 17th century, when the Latin age passes the baton to modern thought. Latin Christian philosophy primarily dealt with the history of salvation, striving to characterize God, the world, and humanity within it, always representing the earnest efforts of highly educated individuals. Deely offers a narrative that brings a new perspective to the Latin centuries, different from what we are accustomed to in modern times. He sets aside theological disputes while simultaneously providing an opportunity to understand what was at stake. He manages to stay on the topic of interpreting the world and, as much as possible, avoids delving into the twists of medieval theology or political history.
Augustine of Hippo, as the main founding father of the Latin tradition, introduced the concept of the sign (signum) into Latin thought. He believed he was merely translating the Greek term semeion. However, while semeion relates only to natural phenomena, signum also pertains to language and the human psyche, which significantly contribute to understanding. Our ideas, experiences, memory traces, etc.,...