History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 267 - After Virtue - Marguerite Porete
Dec 18, 2016
Marguerite Porete, a medieval thinker, is executed for exploring the love of God. Her controversial ideas were disseminated widely and influenced other women mystics. Her book, 'The Mirror of Simple Souls,' critiques reason and promotes love and faith as guides. She discusses virtues, their role in spiritual transcendence, and the idea of transcending virtues. Marguerite explores the concept of the annihilated soul, the extinction of desire, and the paradox of the soul. The podcast also touches on the use of vernacular language in Dante Aligieri's Divine Comedy.
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Martyrdom For A Controversial Book
- Marguerite Porete was arrested, warned, and later executed for her book, The Mirror of Simple Souls.
- She refused to recant and was burned in Paris on June 1, 1310.
Allegory As Philosophy And Devotion
- The Mirror of Simple Souls is a vernacular allegorical dialogue between Soul, Love, and Reason pointing to union with God.
- Marguerite frames the book as a painting pointing beyond words to an unmediated divine encounter.
Reason Is Limited But Not Useless
- Marguerite criticises book learning and depicts Reason as one-eyed, limited but convertible.
- She urges love and faith as guides to climb where reason cannot reach.