Albert the Great on Soul: Some Hermeneutical Issues

Aristotle’s theory of soul was a hot topic in the Late Middle Ages and it sparked a great series of debates with serious theological and philosophical implications. The medieval commentators of Aristotle played a crucial role in the dissemination of these debates since their explanations and commentaries on Aristotle’s theory of soul served as a springboard for further discussions. One of the most important medieval commentators of Aristotle was Albert the Great (ca 1200–1280) who dealt extensively with the topic of soul and its connection with the doctrine of intellect. Albert discussed the subject of soul not only in the Aristotelian commentaries but also in many genuine works of his which delineated Albert’s theory of soul in great detail. This paper will primarily focus on two works of Albert, De homine and Liber de natura et origine animae; it aims to provide a coherent account of Albert’s early theory of soul and to shed some light on important hermeneutical issues that derive from these two works.