Bernard of Clairvaux’s Regions of Consideration

Bernard of Clairvaux’s Treatise on Consideration – a series of letters addressed to Pope Eugen III – has long fascinated its readers. Although originally intended as an epistolary monologue addressed to the Pontiff, it became one of Bernard’s best-known titles, widely circulated and appreciated by much more readers than intended. Over time, it has been seen as a book on monastic discipline and way of life, a philosophy essay on self-knowledge, and even a political instrument of persuasion. The paper offers a contemporary interpretation of the Treatise of Consideration, from a particular standpoint: one situated at the crossroads of the problem of being approached through phenomenological method, philosophical counseling, and existential therapy. The central thesis is that, among other insights, Bernard of Clairvaux articulates at least two theories of the regionalization of being.

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