SOURCE: Steel, Carlos. “Siger of Brabant versus Thomas Aquinas on the Possibility of Knowing the Separate Substances.” In Nach der Verurteilung von 1277: Philosophie und Theologie an der Universität von Paris im letzten Viertel des 13. Jahrhunderts; Studien und Texte, edited by Jan A. Aertsen, Kent Emery, Jr., and Andreas Speer, pp. 211-31. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter, 2001.

In the following essay, Steel discusses a commentary by Renaissance philosopher Agostino Nifo on a now-lost work in which Siger defends Averroes's theories concerning the nature of the intellect.

In his second introduction to the Metaphysics, Aristotle remarks that the knowledge of the truth is both difficult and easy. It seems easy since everyone can say something true about being, nature, life, though partially and in a confused manner: one may grasp something as a whole without knowing how to articulate this knowledge when asked. It is difficult since nobody can...