Biography
Francis Meyronnes was not only an important medieval French philosopher, but also: a theologian, a student, a teacher, and a minister. He was born (c.a 1288) in Provence, France (located in the southwest region); Meyronnes was probably from a noble family, who were well connected to the house of Anjou. Meyronnes joined the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Paris (c.a 1304-1307) under John Duns Scotus at the University of Paris. Meyronnes was considered a Scotist; however, he was more of an independent-minded follower of Scotus Meyronnes lectured on the Sentences, in Paris, from 1320 to 1321. In that same year, Meyronnes and Pierre Auriol (both Franciscans) engaged in a famous debate with Pierre Roger (“the champion of Thomism” who would soon be Clement VI); the theological questions discussed were taken from the Sententiae of Peter Lombard (a scholastic theologian, bishop, and author of Four Books of Sentences). Robert of Anjou, who was at the time the king of Sicily, requested to Pope John XXII to title Meyronnes as a master in theology. So, on May 24, 1323, the chancellor of the University of Paris (commanded by Pope John XXII) deemed Meyronnes to be a master in theology. Francis served as the Provincial Minister of Provence, from 1323 to 1328. During his Provincial Ministering, Francis actively preached, taught, and served as the pope’s ambassador in Gascogne. Francis Meyronnes died in 1328 in Piacenza, Italy, leaving behind an extensive collection of discourses on a wide, comprehensive rage of topics. Topics include religion, economics, philosophy, human cognition, politics, the nature of space, and the possibility of other worlds.
He took part in the discussions on the nature of Universals. Following Duns Scotus, he adopted the Platonic theory of ideas, and denied that Aristotle had made any contribution to metaphysical speculation. It is a curious commentary on the theories of Duns Scotus that one pupil, Francis, should have taken this course, while another pupil, William of Occam, should have used his arguments in a diametrically opposite direction and ended in extreme Nominalism.
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