Memory, Intellect, and Will: The 13th Century Reception of Augustine – Dr. Albert von Thurn und Taxis

Oct 27, 2025

Dr. Albert von Thurn und Taxis, the twelfth Prince of Thurn und Taxis, dives into the complexities of Augustine's ideas on memory, intellect, and will as received in the 13th century. He discusses the tension between Augustinian and Aristotelian views, exploring Augustine's influence and his unified model of the rational soul. The conversation highlights the rich debates surrounding the nature of the soul, memory's rationality, and the interplay between intellect and will, providing a fascinating glimpse into medieval philosophy.

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INSIGHT

Augustine's Trinitarian Framework Shapes Debate

Augustine's Trinitarian trio (memory, intellect, will) frames his account of the rational soul and its relation to the divine.
This triad becomes the starting point for 13th-century debates about human rationality and anthropology.

INSIGHT

Inner Man: Platonism Meets Stoic Agency

Augustine blends Platonic concern for the soul's primacy with Stoic emphasis on the mind's agency.
He locates human identity in an 'inner man' that is rational and oriented toward God.

INSIGHT

Happiness As Contemplation Of Truth

Augustine's intellectualism makes reason the ruler that orders desire toward the good.
He identifies happiness with contemplation of truth, ultimately God as the object of intellect.

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Dr. Albert von Thurn und Taxis explores the 13th-century reception of Augustine’s account of memory, intellect, and will, analyzing how medieval philosophers navigated the tension between Augustinian and Aristotelian models of the rational soul.

This lecture was given on June 15th, 2025, at Schloss St. Emmeram.

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About the Speakers:

Dr. Albert von Thurn und Taxis is the twelfth Prince of Thurn und Taxis and the current head of the Princely House. Born in Regensburg in 1983, his academic career reflects a diverse range of studies across economics, theology, and philosophy.

Prince Albert completed his early education in Regensburg and at the German School in Rome. He went on to study economics and theology at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a Master of Arts in 2008. He further honed his financial expertise by training as a chartered financial analyst in Zurich from 2008 to 2010. He later returned to Rome to pursue philosophy, earning a doctorate in 2022 from the Pontificia Universitas Studiorum a Sancto Thoma Aquinate in Urbe (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas). His research interests touch on morality and agency, evident in his publication, "John Stuart Mill and the Criterion of Morality: The Good, the Self and the Other" (2011), and his Licentiate Thesis, "Triumph of the Will? Rationality and Freedom in Aquinas' Theory of Agency" (2014).

He is also a member of several other noble and religious orders, including the Royal Order of Saint George for the Defence of the Immaculate Conception (2005) and an honorary knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta (2010).

Keywords:

Albert The Great, Aristotelian Anthropology, Augustinian Triad, Faculty Psychology, Human Rationality, Imago Dei, Medieval Controversies, Memory Intellect And Will, Philosophical Anthropology, Trinitarian Psychology