The first key to wisdom

Peter Abelard (1079-1142) the romantic lover remains reasonably known today, at least in some circles. Peter Abelard the forward scout of the Enlightenment remains lesser known. Paul Rosenberg has a post, Heroes of Liberty: Peter Abelard, that traces Abelard's role in the intellectual evolution of the West. Abelard's autobiography, Historia Calamatatum (The Story of My Misfortunes) is also available at Gutenberg.

What sent me searching for Peter Abelard was the following quote:

Constant questioning is the first key to wisdom. For through doubt we are led to enquiry, and by enquiry we discern the truth.

The quote is from the prologue of Abelard's Sic et Non, a boldly progressive step forward to expanding the boundaries of knowledge and wisdom in an era when all the weight of society supported certainty and stasis.