«All borders are porous». Philosophical continuity between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era

During the first half of the 20^th century, authors such as Étienne Gilson, Martin Grabmann and Antonin Sertillanges (among others) started an archaeological task aimed at highlighting the close links between Modern Europe’s ideas and the different philosophical and theological perspectives from the Early and Late Middle Ages. Nowadays, many researchers develop their works with the same objective, although our time is deeply marked by a negative conception of medieval times. Thus, since the last quarter of the 20^th century, the medieval era was conceived as a time of stagnation and futile thought where the main concern was creating intricate conceptual games and not producing real cultural progress. From this point of view, studying the Middle Ages answers a pure erudite interest as long as it does not hide some individual interests, such as: finding arguments to justify religious beliefs, retrieving some elements to use in Logic, or even discovering a point to locate the roots of some contemporary problems (philosophical, theological, socio-political).

Facing this point of view (influenced by a distorted image of the Middle Ages), many scholars ask for the revival of impartial research showing the Middle Ages in all its magnitude. This claim opens the possibility of knowing if we can find or not in it any elements that help us to solve the problems of our time, characterised by relativism, scepticism, and the lack of sense. Ours is a paradoxical time where the human being feels threatened and displaced by the technology he created to use and get profit from.

Following the path opened by Alain de Libera, Olivier Boulnois and John Marenbon, in this issue of Thémata Revista de Filosofía we will try to retrieve the value and richness of the Late medieval ideas (especially from the 13^th to 15^th century). Also, we will highlight the intimate connection of those ideas with the theories that, according to historians, gave birth to a new time: Modernity. Inspired by the spirit that animated the Index scolastico-cartésien (1913) and its decisive repercussion within the History of Philosophy, we will not make a compilation of ideas and commonplaces between medieval and modern thought but make explicit the vivid connection between both epochs. Daily, every scholar devoted to the Middle Ages finds and reads about the value of human freedom, the centrality of consciousness and the advantages of systematic doubt (suspicion). Given this, we can understand his astonishment when these elements are used as clear proofs of the distance (and breaking) between the Modern era and its precedent time, characterised just by its «medial position». Given this, our issue has two objectives: [1] Highlight the imbrication between Late medieval thought and the ideas traditionally conceived as genuine modern. At the same time, this will show that knowledge evolves continuously and not disruptively. [2] Recall the richness and magnitude of the Middle Ages, noting the considerable value of its concepts and theories and the usual disinterested dedication to knowledge and truth of that time (comparable with the situation we live in today). Pointing out the links between European modernity and the Middle Ages will lead us to consider the former’s cultural plurality; this issue will oblige us to assume that many different beliefs and idiosyncrasies resulted in a philosophical modernity that (pretentiously) introduced itself as a new creation, closed reality, or windowless monad.

Issue coordinated by José Carlos Sánchez-López (Universidad Loyola Andalucía) and Manuel Porcel Moreno (Universidad Loyola Andalucía). The monographic section will be published in December 2024. Submissions until June 20, 2024.