The Medievalist Approach to the Idea of Peace Based on the Example of the Doctrine of Marsilius of Padua

Abstract

The article is to point out the complexity of the idea of peace, which, once formed in the medieval era, has been the foundation of many contemporary institutions in the field of social life in a broad sense. The concept of peace, consisting of a number of issues, is central to the discussion herein. The full presentation of the idea of pax requires a reference to the social nature of man and to the relationship of the individual with the social group within which that individual lives. The issue of peace is also coupled with the idea of the common good. It is impossible to characterize the idea of bonum commune without a reference to the question of ordo and the essence of justice. The author proposes a thesis that the medievalist concept of pax combines political, legal, and moral reflection. It develops independently of the theory of wars. Particular attention should be paid to the idea of peace in the thought of Marsilius of Padua, who, drawing on Aristotle’s achievements and the ideas developed in the Middle Ages, devised an original concept of peace.