Peter Abelard
...n Abelard’s life. When Abelard begins his story he almost immediately goes into how his education in France turned from being educated to being the educator. Very early in his career Abelard established himself as a sort of “free-Thinker” by actively challenging his professor’s ideas and lessons. “I undertook to refute certain of [my professors] opinions, not infrequently attacking him in disputation, and now and then in these debates I was adjudged victor.” In more instances than not, Abelard even defeated his opposition in arguments earning him respect and a small following of students. At the young age of twenty five Abelard opened his first school to teach the students that followed him more than they followed the professors. Although it would seem absurd for a modern student to try and start a movement of these proportions, starting his own school shows that there must not have been much along the lines of trust in the established professors’ knowledge of the subject material. Further more, by a student such as Abelard establishing his own school, we can gather that the student population of the time lacked the desire that modern students have to be taught by an accredited teacher. Because The Story of My Misfortunes was written rather late in Abelard’s life certain inconsistencies arise. The main spot light of these lies in the respect that when the story was written Abelard was a practicing monk that had already taken his monastic vows. This seems trivial on the surface; however when you take into account that throughout the story he discusses sins such as lust, pride, and seduction that he himself committed, we can only guess the reasoning behind a monk talking about things that a monk should never had done. One of the specific sins, pride, is epitomized in how he views women “no matter what woman I might favour with my love, I dreaded rejection of none.” This view that Abelard can attain the love of any woman shows not only how he does not respect women, but also how he thinks so much of himself that he can have anyone. Although there are always exceptions, it is safe to say that this view that women are thought of more as objects in men’s eyes, rather than individuals, can be considered consistent with the views of men during the middle ages. An additional inconsistency with what the church teaches and what Abelard does lies in the sole fact that he was allowed to become a monk in the first place. During his time in France Abelard inspired the love and devotion of (some would say merely seduced) a seventeen-year-old Heloise. But when Heloise became pregnant and ran away with him to be secretly married, Abelard earned the hatred of her uncle and guardian, Fulbert, who was also the cannon of Notre Dame. In fact, Fulbert’s anger was so great that he hired a group of thugs to seize Abelard and have him castrated. This castration should have prevented Abelard from becoming a monk later in life according to the bible. ...