quodlibet
9.9
A question asked for debate in philosophy or religion
- noun
- /ˈkwɒd.lɪ.bɛt/
- Archaic
:
quodlibet
- For theology, Thomas does not define only its speculative goal but ... in a Quodlibet Question, the university professor defined his own work of being a theologian as similar to that of an architect who teaches others, like the different levels of manual workers, how they should work to build a church.
Examples
-
The philosopher presented a challenging quodlibet that sparked a lively debate among the students.
-
During the seminar, we discussed a quodlibet that examined the nature of justice in society.
-
In the theology class, the professor encouraged students to propose their own quodlibet for the next discussion.
Synonyms
topic of debate
vsquodlibet
1
3.4
A subject people often argue about
is narrower used in academic philosophy or theology rather than broad public argument
9.9
A formal question or topic for discussion in medieval philosophy and law
is applied more broadly in philosophical or theological discussion than in medieval law
Surface Forms
quodlibet singular
quodlibets plural
Etymology
Quodlibet comes from medieval Latin parts quod ('what') and libet ('it pleases'). In old universities a quodlibet was a question anyone could ask, so the word kept the sense of a debate topic chosen 'whatever pleases' the questioner.