Peter Abelard

Peter Abelard
Depiction by Antoni Oleszczyński, before 1841
Born	1079 (1079) Le Pallet near Nantes, France
Died	(1142-04-21)21 April 1142 (age 62 or 63) Abbey of Saint-Marcel near Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Philosophical work
Era	Medieval philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Scholasticism Peripatetic Conceptualism
Main interests	Metaphysics, logic, philosophy of language, theology
Notable works	Sic et Non
Notable ideas	Conceptualism, limbo, moral influence theory of atonement[1][2]

Peter Abelard^[a] (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet.^[3]

In philosophy he is celebrated for his logical solution to the problem of universals via nominalism and conceptualism and his pioneering of intent in ethics.^[4] Often referred to as the "Descartes of the twelfth century", he is considered a forerunner of Rousseau, Kant, and Spinoza.^[5] He is sometimes credited as a chief forerunner of modern empiricism.^[6]

In Catholic theology, he is best known for his development of the concept of limbo, and his introduction of the moral influence theory of atonement. He is considered (alongside Augustine) to be the most significant forerunner of the modern self-reflective autobiographer. He paved the way and set the tone for later epistolary novels and celebrity tell-alls with his publicly distributed letter, The History of My Calamities and public correspondence.

In history and popular culture he is best known for his passionate, tragic love affair and intense philosophical exchange with his brilliant student and eventual wife, Héloïse d'Argenteuil.

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