Why is Rufus so important for medieval philosophy?
A. Richard Rufus of Cornwall played a crucial role in the transformation of philosophy and theology that characterized thirteenth-century Western intellectual life. As a master of arts, Richard Rufus lectured at the University of Paris from 1231 to 1238 when its curriculum was revolutionized by the introduction of Aristotle’s libri naturales. In his lectures on the libri naturales Rufus applied rigorous Aristotelian reasoning to topics as diverse as physics and natural theology, often modifying or rejecting Aristotle’s own solutions. Rufus’ originality is surely what we ought to have expected to motivate radical curricular change. Only dynamic teaching could have made Aristotle’s libri naturales required reading just twenty years after lecturing on them was banned.
