1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Economic Thought of P.J.Olivi
| Project/Area Number |
04610235
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
History of Europe and America
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| Research Institution | OSAKA CITY UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
OGURO Shunji Osaka City University Faculty of Letter, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (50152096)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1992 – 1993
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| Keywords | Olivi / Economic Thought / Usury / Seminal Reason / Medieval Europe |
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| Research Abstract |
This year I have analized the original textes of P.J.Olivi concentrating upon his discussion on usury, the results of which can be seen in the article entitled "Sterile or Seminal : interest in the Economic Thought of P.J.Olivi". In this article I stressed the innovative character of his discussion on usury, in which he tries to justify the interest-bearing loan (usura, usury) by ingeneously using the notions of capital and interest. In his justification of usury he was ahead of his time (13th century) when the prohibition of usury by church was still prevaling. In this respect one can say Olivi is one of the most important precursors of modern economic thought. On the other hand, focusing on his key word seminal reason (ratio seminalis) I could shed some lights on its origin, which Olivi borrowed from Bonaventura (who in his turn borrowed it from Augustine), and transformed into an economic concept. In this way Olivi created a new economic concept from an old one which had been used until then to explain the Creation by God.
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