The condemnations of Paris of 1277 and the origins of modern science
Abstract: After discovering a treasure-trove of medieval manuscripts on various topics in the philosophy of nature, the French physicist, historian and philosopher of science, Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), concluded that the Middle Ages witnessed profound reflections in the understanding of the natu...
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
2024
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| Acceso en línea: | https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/18064 |
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| Sumario: | Abstract: After discovering a treasure-trove of medieval
manuscripts on various topics in the philosophy of nature, the
French physicist, historian and philosopher of science, Pierre
Duhem (1861-1916), concluded that the Middle Ages witnessed
profound reflections in the understanding of the natural world.
He eventually argued that developments in the 14th Century at
the University of Paris concerning projectile motion anticipated
the theories of inertia set forth by Galileo, Descartes, and
Newton. Scholars like Jean Buridan, according to Duhem,
rejected the Aristotelian principle that everything that is moved
is moved by another. He claimed that the intellectual horizon in
which Buridan and others operated was made possible by the
actions of Étienne Tempier, Bishop of Paris, who in 1277 issued
a list of 219 proposition condemned as false - many of them
grounded in Aristotelian physics. For Duhem, the real Scientific
Revolution begins with Bishop Tempier's condemnations.
There are problems, however, with Duhem's thesis. The theory
of impetus set forth by Burdian is not so much a rejection of
Aristotelian principles but a new development within the broad
Aristotelian tradition. Duhem does help us to reject the view that
there is a fundamental incompatibility between Catholic
theology and science. However, the Condemnations of 1277, in
the appeal to divine omnipotence to counter claims about what
is true in nature, incorporate a view that is really an obstacle to
the development of science. Concerns about challenges of
Aristotle to Christian faith, evident in the condemnations, were
not shared by thinkers such as Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas. |
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