Tolerance and Concepts of Otherness in Medieval Philosophy

The proceedings of the S.I.E.P.M. Colloquium at Maynooth published in this volume shed new light on the development of the perception of the other within the different philosophical, religious, and cultural traditions in the late Middle Ages as well as the early modern era in both Christian and Islamic thought. The contributions consider not only the theological background but also the philosophical presuppositions of the concepts which were used to develop various apologetic writings and theological treatises that dealt with questions of cultural and religious difference. The rich and diverse medieval and early modern tradition of engaging with the other and the arguments for or against toleration on topics that are equally diverse are discussed with reference to both the Western and Eastern Christian tradition, to the contributions of Islamic Thinkers on the topic, and to the flourishing tradition of a constructed interreligious dialogue such as that between Christians and Jews. Finally, this book includes a number of important investigations exploring the relationship between toleration and rights not only within Europe but also in the lands of the so-called new world and its indigenous peoples where arguments of exclusion were grounded intheories such as grace-based dominium.