The content, context and influence of the work of Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540)

The aim of this thesis is to examine the educational and psychological theories of the renaissance philosopher Juan Luis Vives. A brief history of Vives' life is given as background information and, to place his work in context, the central concepts of Renaissance Humanism are explained. As Vives was influenced by Desiderius Erasmus and by the central tenets of Northern Humanism, information is given on these subjects. The main focus of the research is a study of Vives' pedagogy and psychology as set out in the texts De institutione foeminae Christianae, De tradendis disciplinis and De anima et vita. Vives' educational work is discussed in Chapters 4 and 5, and comparison is made with other renaissance theories of education. It will be explained that his educational philosophy rests upon his theory of the soul. This led him to consider such things as the role of memory in the learning process, the need to take account of children's psychological maturation when planning a course of study, and the way in which sensate information is 'translated' into percepts. Chapter 6 deals with Vives' treatise on psychological processes (De anima et vita) and includes description and analysis of his epistemology together with his examination of the 'passions' and their effect on cognitive functioning. It will be argued in Chapters 7 and 8 that aspects of Vives' work are forerunners of later theories: specifically, the philosophy of Pierre Gassendi, the study of the soul by René Descartes, and the pedagogy of John Locke. Gassendi was instrumental in reviving interest in Epicurianism and in the work of Sextus Emipricus. (DXN004,921)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

PhD

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Glasgow

Year dc:date.issued

1996

Author dc:creator

• Skelton, Fiona

• B Philosophy (General)

Language dc:language

en