Thomas Wylton

Abstract

Thomas Wylton was an English philosopher and theologian who was first active as a Master of Arts at Oxford (c. 1288–1304) and then at the Faculty of Theology of Paris (c. 1304–1322). His major extant works are a commentary on Aristotle’s De anima, a commentary on Aristotle’s Physics, and a Quodlibet. Wylton is a major exponent of Latin Averroism. He defends Averroes view on the material intellect, arguing that Averroes does not posit the material intellect as a substance separate from man but as the substantial form of man. He also maintains that Averroes can account for the union between intellect and man better than the Catholics. Wylton’s interpretation of Averroes had a strong influence on John of Jandun. Although a comprehensive picture of Wylton’s philosophical and theological thought has not yet been drawn, it has clearly emerged that Wylton’s ontology is strongly realist and influenced in part by that of Scotus. For example, Wylton maintains not only that a relation is a thing distinct from the relata but also that the distinction between the two relata and their existence are not necessary for the reality of the relation between them. Furthermore, he holds that it is necessary to posit successive things (typically, motion and time) as distinct from permanent things. Like Scotus, he maintains that divine attributes are formally distinct.