''Moralium dogma philosophorum'' ("Teaching of the philosophers on moral questions") is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

work of the 12th century. Its authorship is uncertain: it has been attributed to

William of Conches William of Conches (c. 1090/1091 – c. 1155/1170s) was a French scholastic philosopher who sought to expand the bounds of Christian humanism by studying secular works of the classics and fostering empirical science. He was a prominent membe ...

, to

Walter of Châtillon Walter of Châtillon ( Latinized as Gualterus de Castellione) was a 12th-century French writer and theologian who wrote in the Latin language. He studied under Stephen of Beauvais and at the University of Paris. It was probably during his studen ...

and (less likely) to

Alan of Lille Alain de Lille (Alan of Lille) (Latin: ''Alanus ab Insulis''; 11281202/03) was a French theologian and poet. He was born in Lille, some time before 1128. His exact date of death remains unclear as well, with most research pointing toward it bei ...

. Parallels exist between this work, the anonymous '' Ysagoge in theologiam'' (written between 1141 and 1157), and the text ''De virtutibus et vitiis'' by Alan of Lille (written between 1155 and 1165). The attribution to William of Conches was proposed in 1890 by Bernard Hauréau. It was widely accepted until 1931 when John R. Williams proposed it was written by Walter of Châtillon. In 1948 P. Glorieux advanced the idea that Alan of Lille was the author.

References

*"The Quest for the Author of the Moralium Dogma Philosophorum, 1931-1956." John R. Williams. ''Speculum.'' Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct., 1957), pp. 736-747 (12 pages) Published By: The University of Chicago Press *"The Authorship of the Moralium Dogma Philosophorum." John R. Williams. ''Speculum'' Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul., 1931), pp. 392-411 (20 pages) Published By: The University of Chicago Press * ''Das Moralium dogma philosophorum des Guilelmus de Conches.'' J. R. Holmberg ed., Uppsala, 1929 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moralium Dogma Philosophorum 12th-century Latin books Ethics literature Medieval philosophical literature