James of Douai (original) (raw)

James of Douai (French: Jacques de Douai, Latin: Jacobus de Duaco; fl. 1275) was a French philosopher who taught at the University of Paris. James was a Master of Arts who wrote commentaries on Aristotle. He defended the freedom of philosophers to engage in speculation. In 1275, the papal legate Simon of Brion appointed him proctor of the Picard nation at the university. He was probably one of the targets of the Condemnation of 1277. It is possible that the philosopher is the same person as the James of Douai who was a monk at the Abbey of Saint Bertin from 1287 to 1311.