Summulae de dialectica

work by Buridan

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July 14, 2026

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Jean Buridan's Summulae de dialectica is a foundational work in medieval logic, intended for instructional use at the University of Paris. This text is largely an adaptation of Peter of Spain's Summulae logicales. Buridan's work surveys the entire field of logic, encompassing both traditional and newer developments in the Logica moderna. His Sophismata, originally intended as the final treatise of the Summulae de dialectica, delves into complex issues of semantics and the philosophy of logic. Buridan was a significant logician and Aristotelian philosopher of the 14th century.12

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history of logic
Developments in the 13th and early 14th centuries
Buridan’s Summulae de dialectica (“Little Summaries of Dialectic”), intended for instructional use at Paris, was largely an adaptation of Peter of Spain’s Summulae logicales. He appears to have been the first to use Peter of Spain’s text in this way. Originally meant as the last treatise…
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Buridan’s Summulae de dialectica (“Little Summaries of Dialectic”), intended for instructional use at Paris, was largely an adaptation of Peter of Spain’s Summulae logicales. He appears to have been the first to use Peter of Spain’s text in this way. Originally meant as the last treatise…
Read More