Peter Abelard (c. 1079–1142) was a French scholastic philosopher, theologian, and logician. He was one of the most prominent scholastic philosophers in the medieval period, and in his time he was called "the second Plato" because of his formidable learning. Peter Abelard was born in Melun, then part of the feudal domain of the Count of Blois
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He received an excellent education in Paris at the School of Notre Dame where he studied grammar, dialectics, and theology. His intellectual brilliance soon made him famous among his contemporaries. While still young, Peter entered the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which was renowned for its theological teaching.
When he became a monk there he received the minor orders and the minor orders, made proctor general for life to Bishop Thierry of Chartres during whose reign he taught at Chartres Cathedral School. According to many accounts Peter's brilliance did not prevent him from becoming involved in conflicts with other members of the cloister or with his superiors in his capacity as administrator and teacher at the School of Notre Dame. In particular he had a falling out with Robert de Sorbon who accused Abelard of having seduced him and thereby caused him to lose his position as Bishop of Paris and Professor at Notre Dame University.