Intellect, Reason, and Immortality (Ralph of Battle, De nesciente et sciente, Book I, Chapter 4)

Abstract

This dialogue discusses a number of examples which seem to show that in various situations also nonhuman animals behave quite rationally. Although many of these examples are anecdotes of animal behaviour taken from the theological and philosophical literature of the time, Ralph of Battle uses them to introduce an original and unusual terminological distinction: instead of denying intellect (intellectus) and reason (ratio) to animals, he – or his protagonist, the sage, more precisely – claims that they have an ‘irrational intellect’ (intellectus irrationalis). This needs to be distinguished from the immortal, human ‘rational intellect’ (intellectus rationalis), which is the power providing understanding of what is good or bad, and hence is a necessary prerequisite for moral responsibility. Not only because of these terminological innovations Ralph’s dialogue is an interesting contribution to the early medieval debate over animal minds before the Latin reception of Aristotle’s writings on zoology and psychology.