- Ph.D. (1999) in history of science and philosophy, I am a Research Fellow at Radboud University (Netherlands) and hav... morePh.D. (1999) in history of science and philosophy, I am a Research Fellow at Radboud University (Netherlands) and have published widely in Renaissance philosophy, science and medicine.
Scientific Board @ Early Science and Medicine (Brill)
Section Editor - Medicine @ Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy (Springer)
Section Editor - Alchemy & Chemistry @ Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy (Springer)
e-mail: hhirai2@gmail.com
Amazon: http://amzn.to/wOpKImedit
Research Interests:
Inspired by the ideas found in the newly recovered ancient sources, Renaissance humanists questioned the traditional teachings of universities. Humanistically trained physicians, called “medical humanists,” were particularly active in the... more
Inspired by the ideas found in the newly recovered ancient sources, Renaissance humanists questioned the traditional teachings of universities. Humanistically trained physicians, called “medical humanists,” were particularly active in the field of natural philosophy, where alternative approaches were launched and tested. Their intellectual outcome contributed to the reorientation of philosophy toward natural questions, which were to become crucial in the seventeenth century. This volume explores six medical humanists of diverse geographical and confessional origins (Leoniceno, Fernel, Schegk, Gemma, Liceti and Sennert) and their debates on matter, life and the soul. The study of these debates sheds new light on the contributions of humanist culture to the evolution of early modern natural philosophy.
Contents
Introduction
1. Medical Humanism and Natural Philosophy
2. Matter, Life and the Soul
3. The Newly Recovered Texts and Their Interpretations
4. Philosophy in the Manner of Medical Humanists
Chapter One Nicolò Leoniceno between the Arabo-Latin Tradition and the Renaissance of the Greek Commentators
1. Introduction
2. Galen: The Vegetative Soul and Innate Heat
3. Aristotle and Pietro d’Abano: Celestial Heat, the Intellect and Soul’s Vehicle
4. Alexander of Aphrodisias and Simplicius: The Seed’s Inner Nature
5. Averroes and Themistius: Ideas, Intellects and Souls
6. Conclusion
Chapter Two Jean Fernel and His Christian Platonic Interpretation of Galen
1. Introduction
2. The Divine Forces of Forms
3. God the Creator and Fetal Formation
4. The Divine and Celestial Nature of the Soul
5. The Notion of Faculty
6. The Formative Force and the Divine Craftsman in the Seed
7. The Spiritus and Its Innate Heat
8. The Physiological Functions and Their Occult Causes
9. Fernel’s Source
10. Conclusion
Chapter Three Jacob Schegk on the Plastic Faculty and the Origin of Souls
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Plastic Faculty as the Second Actuality
4. Is the Plastic Faculty Corporeal or Incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic Faculty a Part of the Soul?
8. Conclusion
Chapter Four Cornelius Gemma and His Neoplatonic Reading of Hippocrates
1. Introduction
2. Fernel and the Hippocratic Notion of “Something Divine”
3. Cardano and His Hippocratism
4. Gemma and His Neoplatonic Hippocratism
5. Petrus Severinus and the Parisian Connection?
Chapter Five Fortunio Liceti against Marsilio Ficino on the World-Soul and the Origin of Life
1. Introduction
2. Liceti’s De Spontaneo Viventium Ortu (1618)
3. The World-Soul in the “Junior Platonists”
4. The Ideas in the “Major Platonists”
5. Ficino and the Earth’s Soul
6. Cicero’s De Natura Deorum as Ficino’s Source?
Chapter Six Daniel Sennert on Living Atoms, Hylomorphism and Spontaneous Generation
1. Introduction
2. The Origin of Souls in Normal Generation
3. The Eduction of Forms
4. Schegk and the Plastic Force
5. The Nature of the Seed and Its Spiritus
6. Spontaneous Generation in Sennert
7. The Atoms of Living Beings and Their Souls
8. Conclusion
Conclusion
1. Natural Philosophy and Medical Humanism
2. Toward a Quest for the Seminal Principle: Sennert and Beyond
Appendix
1. Jacopo Zabarella, "Liber de calore coelesti," in "De rebus naturalibus" (Frankfurt, 1607), 11.
2. Giovanni Argenterio, "De somno et vigilia libri duo" (Florence, 1556; Venice, 1592), 2.6.
3. Domenico Bertacchi, "De spiritibus libri quatuor" (Venice, 1584), 1.8.
4. Fortunio Liceti, "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (Vicenza, 1618), 3.13.
Bibliography
Index
Contents
Introduction
1. Medical Humanism and Natural Philosophy
2. Matter, Life and the Soul
3. The Newly Recovered Texts and Their Interpretations
4. Philosophy in the Manner of Medical Humanists
Chapter One Nicolò Leoniceno between the Arabo-Latin Tradition and the Renaissance of the Greek Commentators
1. Introduction
2. Galen: The Vegetative Soul and Innate Heat
3. Aristotle and Pietro d’Abano: Celestial Heat, the Intellect and Soul’s Vehicle
4. Alexander of Aphrodisias and Simplicius: The Seed’s Inner Nature
5. Averroes and Themistius: Ideas, Intellects and Souls
6. Conclusion
Chapter Two Jean Fernel and His Christian Platonic Interpretation of Galen
1. Introduction
2. The Divine Forces of Forms
3. God the Creator and Fetal Formation
4. The Divine and Celestial Nature of the Soul
5. The Notion of Faculty
6. The Formative Force and the Divine Craftsman in the Seed
7. The Spiritus and Its Innate Heat
8. The Physiological Functions and Their Occult Causes
9. Fernel’s Source
10. Conclusion
Chapter Three Jacob Schegk on the Plastic Faculty and the Origin of Souls
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Plastic Faculty as the Second Actuality
4. Is the Plastic Faculty Corporeal or Incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic Faculty a Part of the Soul?
8. Conclusion
Chapter Four Cornelius Gemma and His Neoplatonic Reading of Hippocrates
1. Introduction
2. Fernel and the Hippocratic Notion of “Something Divine”
3. Cardano and His Hippocratism
4. Gemma and His Neoplatonic Hippocratism
5. Petrus Severinus and the Parisian Connection?
Chapter Five Fortunio Liceti against Marsilio Ficino on the World-Soul and the Origin of Life
1. Introduction
2. Liceti’s De Spontaneo Viventium Ortu (1618)
3. The World-Soul in the “Junior Platonists”
4. The Ideas in the “Major Platonists”
5. Ficino and the Earth’s Soul
6. Cicero’s De Natura Deorum as Ficino’s Source?
Chapter Six Daniel Sennert on Living Atoms, Hylomorphism and Spontaneous Generation
1. Introduction
2. The Origin of Souls in Normal Generation
3. The Eduction of Forms
4. Schegk and the Plastic Force
5. The Nature of the Seed and Its Spiritus
6. Spontaneous Generation in Sennert
7. The Atoms of Living Beings and Their Souls
8. Conclusion
Conclusion
1. Natural Philosophy and Medical Humanism
2. Toward a Quest for the Seminal Principle: Sennert and Beyond
Appendix
1. Jacopo Zabarella, "Liber de calore coelesti," in "De rebus naturalibus" (Frankfurt, 1607), 11.
2. Giovanni Argenterio, "De somno et vigilia libri duo" (Florence, 1556; Venice, 1592), 2.6.
3. Domenico Bertacchi, "De spiritibus libri quatuor" (Venice, 1584), 1.8.
4. Fortunio Liceti, "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (Vicenza, 1618), 3.13.
Bibliography
Index
Research Interests:
Although Justus Lipsius (1547–1606) is most widely known for his advocacy of Neostoicism in the history of moral and political philosophy, his natural philosophy and its influence on early modern science have yet to be fully articulated.... more
Although Justus Lipsius (1547–1606) is most widely known for his advocacy of Neostoicism in the history of moral and political philosophy, his natural philosophy and its influence on early modern science have yet to be fully articulated. Taking the Physiologia Stoicorum (Antwerp, 1604) as its focal point, this volume crafts a new interpretation of Lipsius’ place in intellectual history. His treatise represents more than a simple revival of ancient Stoic physics because it also owes much to Christianity, Aristotelianism, Platonism and even Hermeticism.
The present volume of eight contributions is based on papers read at an international conference organised by the Centre for History of Science at Ghent University as part of the project “Re-evaluation of the Sciences in the Low Countries in the Renaissance” (GOA 12.517.03). The event was held in Brussels on 30 November 2007 under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Belgium.
Contents
1. Jan Papy, “Lipsius’ Stoic Physics and the Neostoic Reading of the World”
2. Jacqueline Lagrée, “La physique de Lipse comme métaphysique”
3. Guido Giglioni, “Justus Lipsius and the Notion of Oικείωσις: A Note on the Early-Modern Notion of Self-Preservation”
4. Bernard Joly, “Principe, élément ou qualité: le problème du feu dans la physique stoïcienne de Juste Lipse”
5. Hiro Hirai, “Justus Lipsius on the World-Soul between Roman Cosmic Theology and Renaissance Prisca Theologia”
6. Gianni Paganini, “Les enjeux de la cosmobiologie à la fin de la Renaissance: Juste Lipse et Giordano Bruno”
7. Kuni Sakamoto, “Eclecticism as Seneca’s Heritage: Evil and the Cosmic Cycle in Justus Lipsius”
8. Dana Jalobeanu, “Francis Bacon and Justus Lipsius: Natural Philosophy, Natural Theology and the Stoic Discipline of the Mind”
The present volume of eight contributions is based on papers read at an international conference organised by the Centre for History of Science at Ghent University as part of the project “Re-evaluation of the Sciences in the Low Countries in the Renaissance” (GOA 12.517.03). The event was held in Brussels on 30 November 2007 under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Belgium.
Contents
1. Jan Papy, “Lipsius’ Stoic Physics and the Neostoic Reading of the World”
2. Jacqueline Lagrée, “La physique de Lipse comme métaphysique”
3. Guido Giglioni, “Justus Lipsius and the Notion of Oικείωσις: A Note on the Early-Modern Notion of Self-Preservation”
4. Bernard Joly, “Principe, élément ou qualité: le problème du feu dans la physique stoïcienne de Juste Lipse”
5. Hiro Hirai, “Justus Lipsius on the World-Soul between Roman Cosmic Theology and Renaissance Prisca Theologia”
6. Gianni Paganini, “Les enjeux de la cosmobiologie à la fin de la Renaissance: Juste Lipse et Giordano Bruno”
7. Kuni Sakamoto, “Eclecticism as Seneca’s Heritage: Evil and the Cosmic Cycle in Justus Lipsius”
8. Dana Jalobeanu, “Francis Bacon and Justus Lipsius: Natural Philosophy, Natural Theology and the Stoic Discipline of the Mind”
Research Interests:
The "Belgian John Dee", Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578) was a son of the famous mathematician and cosmographer Gemma Frisius. He was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain. Until recently he has been almost totally neglected by... more
The "Belgian John Dee", Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578) was a son of the famous mathematician and cosmographer Gemma Frisius. He was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain. Until recently he has been almost totally neglected by scholars, although he played an important role in the intellectual map of the second half of the sixteenth century. His main works, "De arte cyclognomica" (Antwerp, 1569) and "De naturae divinis characterismis" (Antwerp, 1575) are true "hidden gems" in early modern intellectual history. They encompasses the cluster of problems on medicine, astronomy, astrology, teratology, divination, prophecy, eschatology, encyclopaedism, art of memory, etc. and drew the particular attention of eminent minds of the time such as Guillaume Postel, Jean Bodin and Johannes Kepler. The present volume stems from the conference entirely devoted to Gemma (Ghent, 23 February 2007) organized by the Center for the History of Science (sarton.UGent.be) at Ghent University as part of its project "Reevaluation of the Sciences in the Low Countries of the Renaissance" (GOA 12.517.03). It furnishes the first substantial survey on this elusive figure through multidisciplinary approaches.
Contents
1. Cosmology and Astrology
- Fernand Hallyn, "A Poem on the Copernican System: Cornelius Gemma and his Cosmocritical Art"
- Germana Ernst, "Il linguaggio universale dei cieli: Cornelio Gemma, Tycho Brahe, Tommaso Campanella"
- Dario Tessicini, "Vere Gemmeum est?: Cornelio Gemma e la stella nuova del 1572"
2. Medicine and Prodigy
- Jean Céard, "La notion de prodige selon Cornelius Gemma"
- Concetta Pennuto, "Cornelius Gemma et l'épidémie de 1574"
- Hiro Hirai, "«Prisca Theologia» and Neoplatonic Reading of Hippocrates in Fernel, Cardano and Gemma" .
3. Method and Sapientia
- Stephen Clucas, "Cornelius Gemma and Universal Method"
- Thomas Leinkauf, "Cornelius Gemma, Philosophie und Methode: Eine Analyse des ersten Buches der Ars cyclognomica"
This volume has been reviewed by
- Olivia Catanorchi & Cinzia Tozzini, Bruniana & Campanelliana 15 (2009), 222-23.
- Patrick Boner, Renaissance Quarterly 63 (2010), 234-36.
- Miguel A. Granada, Studium 3 (2010), 47-48.
- Steven Vanden Broecke, Isis 102 (2011), 558-59.
Contents
1. Cosmology and Astrology
- Fernand Hallyn, "A Poem on the Copernican System: Cornelius Gemma and his Cosmocritical Art"
- Germana Ernst, "Il linguaggio universale dei cieli: Cornelio Gemma, Tycho Brahe, Tommaso Campanella"
- Dario Tessicini, "Vere Gemmeum est?: Cornelio Gemma e la stella nuova del 1572"
2. Medicine and Prodigy
- Jean Céard, "La notion de prodige selon Cornelius Gemma"
- Concetta Pennuto, "Cornelius Gemma et l'épidémie de 1574"
- Hiro Hirai, "«Prisca Theologia» and Neoplatonic Reading of Hippocrates in Fernel, Cardano and Gemma" .
3. Method and Sapientia
- Stephen Clucas, "Cornelius Gemma and Universal Method"
- Thomas Leinkauf, "Cornelius Gemma, Philosophie und Methode: Eine Analyse des ersten Buches der Ars cyclognomica"
This volume has been reviewed by
- Olivia Catanorchi & Cinzia Tozzini, Bruniana & Campanelliana 15 (2009), 222-23.
- Patrick Boner, Renaissance Quarterly 63 (2010), 234-36.
- Miguel A. Granada, Studium 3 (2010), 47-48.
- Steven Vanden Broecke, Isis 102 (2011), 558-59.
Research Interests:
Le concept de semence à la Renaissance, établi sous l'autorité des Platoniciens, est le maillon perdu de la chaîne qui relie la doctrine scolastique de la "forme substantielle", répandue au Moyen âge, et la théorie mécaniste des... more
Le concept de semence à la Renaissance, établi sous l'autorité des Platoniciens, est le maillon perdu de la chaîne qui relie la doctrine scolastique de la "forme substantielle", répandue au Moyen âge, et la théorie mécaniste des "molécules", en vogue au dix-huitième siècle. Pour expliquer l'origine de la "forme" des choses naturelles, ce concept joue un rôle tout à fait singulier dans la philosophie naturelle de cette époque. La présente étude démontre sa genèse dans la cosmologie métaphysique du Platonicien florentin Marsile Ficin (1433-1499) qui assimile dans sa conception non seulement la notion stoïco-néoplatonicienne des "logoi spermatikoi" mais aussi l'idée des "semina rerum" de Lucrèce. Le médecin français Jean Fernel (1497-1558) introduit cette théorie ficinienne dans le fondement même de la médecine académique humaniste. Le médecin suisse révolutionnaire Paracelse (1493-1541) développe, de son côté, sa propre interprétation du concept dans le cadre de la cosmogonie biblique de la Genèse sous l'ombre de la doctrine augustinienne des "raisons séminales". C'est le Paracelsien danois Pierre Séverin (1540/42-1602) qui établit une synthèse que l'on peut qualifier de "philosophie des semences" dans son chef-d'oeuvre "Idea medicinae philosophicae" (Bâle, 1571). Cet ouvrage, encore méconnu des historiens, est en réalité la source commune et vénérée de deux géants, le chymiste flamand Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont (1577-1644), dit "mystique", et l'atomiste français Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), dit "mécaniste". Interprété en termes chymiques et corpusculaires, le concept de semence de la Renaissance continue à exercer une influence considérable sur les théories de la matière au coeur de la Révolution scientifique.
Contents
Avant-propos
Introduction
1ère partie : Marsile Ficin et son cercle
Ch. 1 Le concept de semence avant Ficin
Ch. 2 Marsile Ficin
Ch. 3 Le cercle de Ficin
Ch. 4 Jean Fernel
2ème partie : La tradition aristotélicienne de la science minérale
Ch. 5 Georg Agricola
Ch. 6 Jérôme Cardan
Ch. 7 André Césalpin
3ème partie : Les Paracelsiens et le concept de semence
Ch. 8 Paracelse
Ch. 9 Pierre Séverin
Ch. 10 Joseph Du Chesne
Ch. 11 Oswald Croll
4ème partie : ' Speculum chymicum ' ou les idées chymiques dans la science minérale
Ch. 12 Bernard Palissy
Ch. 13 Michel Sendivogius
Ch. 14 Anselme Boèce de Boodt
Ch. 15 Excursus : Daniel Sennert
Ch. 16 Etienne de Clave
5ème partie : Van Helmont et Gassendi
Ch. 17 Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont
Ch. 18 Pierre Gassendi
Conclusion
Bibliographie
Index
This volume has been reviewed by
- Christoph Lüthy, "Seeds Sprouting Everywhere", Annals of Science 64 (2007), 411-20.
- Antonio Clericuzio, Bruniana & Campanelliana 11 (2005), 594-97.
- Guido Giglioni, Early Science and Medicine 11 (2006), 117-19.
- Peter Anstey, Isis 97 (2006), 151-52.
- Craig Martin, Renaissance Quarterly 59 (2006), 226-27.
- Antonio Clericuzio, Metascience 15 (2006), 315-18.
- Pierre Savaton, Revue d’histoire des sciences 61 (2008), 218-20.
- Remi Francowiack, Ambix 56 (2009), 89.
Contents
Avant-propos
Introduction
1ère partie : Marsile Ficin et son cercle
Ch. 1 Le concept de semence avant Ficin
Ch. 2 Marsile Ficin
Ch. 3 Le cercle de Ficin
Ch. 4 Jean Fernel
2ème partie : La tradition aristotélicienne de la science minérale
Ch. 5 Georg Agricola
Ch. 6 Jérôme Cardan
Ch. 7 André Césalpin
3ème partie : Les Paracelsiens et le concept de semence
Ch. 8 Paracelse
Ch. 9 Pierre Séverin
Ch. 10 Joseph Du Chesne
Ch. 11 Oswald Croll
4ème partie : ' Speculum chymicum ' ou les idées chymiques dans la science minérale
Ch. 12 Bernard Palissy
Ch. 13 Michel Sendivogius
Ch. 14 Anselme Boèce de Boodt
Ch. 15 Excursus : Daniel Sennert
Ch. 16 Etienne de Clave
5ème partie : Van Helmont et Gassendi
Ch. 17 Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont
Ch. 18 Pierre Gassendi
Conclusion
Bibliographie
Index
This volume has been reviewed by
- Christoph Lüthy, "Seeds Sprouting Everywhere", Annals of Science 64 (2007), 411-20.
- Antonio Clericuzio, Bruniana & Campanelliana 11 (2005), 594-97.
- Guido Giglioni, Early Science and Medicine 11 (2006), 117-19.
- Peter Anstey, Isis 97 (2006), 151-52.
- Craig Martin, Renaissance Quarterly 59 (2006), 226-27.
- Antonio Clericuzio, Metascience 15 (2006), 315-18.
- Pierre Savaton, Revue d’histoire des sciences 61 (2008), 218-20.
- Remi Francowiack, Ambix 56 (2009), 89.
The "spirit" ("pneuma" in Greek and "spiritus" in Latin) was often defined as the corporeal instrument of the "soul" ("psychê" in Greek and "anima" in Latin) for physiological functions in living beings. Since the soul was difficult to... more
The "spirit" ("pneuma" in Greek and "spiritus" in Latin) was often defined as the corporeal instrument of the "soul" ("psychê" in Greek and "anima" in Latin) for physiological functions in living beings. Since the soul was difficult to grasp in a material dimension, the role of the spirit as a key to understanding the secret of life gradually increased in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. A long quest for a material spirit of life was launched.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this paper I will address the question of the origin of the soul and the intellect in human and animal generation, as it appeared in medical debates of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. How did this issue affect the... more
In this paper I will address the question of the origin of the soul and the intellect in human and animal generation, as it appeared in medical debates of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. How did this issue affect the traditional boundary firmly established between human beings and animals? How was the passage of Aristotle’s "Generation of Animals," 2.3, used in this context? To answer these questions, I will focus on the embryological discussion of three representative figures of diverse geographical, intellectual and confessional backgrounds: Jean Fernel of Paris, Jacob Schegk of Tübingen and Daniel Sennert of Wittenberg.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Jean Fernel
3. Jacob Schegk
4. Daniel Sennert
5. Conclusion
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Jean Fernel
3. Jacob Schegk
4. Daniel Sennert
5. Conclusion
A pregnant woman encounters a wolf in the woods. She is so scared that her strong emotion of fear imprints the wolf’s morphological traces on the fetus in her womb. Another pregnant woman craves strawberries or cherries so intensely that... more
A pregnant woman encounters a wolf in the woods. She is so scared that her strong emotion of fear imprints the wolf’s morphological traces on the fetus in her womb. Another pregnant woman craves strawberries or cherries so intensely that she leaves certain marks or impressions of these fruits on the fetus. The belief that the power of maternal emotions such as desire and fear can imprint certain marks, signs or signatures on the fetus was widespread in the early modern period. This belief was adopted by Renaissance philosophers such as Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499) and Pietro Pomponazzi (1462–1525), who intimately connected it to the traditional theory of imagination or phantasia. Moreover, folkloric tales about the mysterious and extraordinary psychic powers exerted by special groups of women, who were often labeled as witches and healers, might have reinforced this belief, contributing to the propagation of the idea that their forces could exceed the order of nature.
Recent studies have shed new light on the historical and intellectual background of the issue, although its complete history has yet to be written. In this article I will focus on the intervention of early modern learned medicine in the theorization of this belief. To this end I will address the case of Thomas Feyens or Fienus (1567–1631) of Antwerp, who wrote a monograph devoted to the power of imagination in the embryological framework.
Fienus was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain from the end of the sixteenth century until his death and published a series of embryological works. Among these works there is a treatise, entitled "On the Forces of the Imagination" (Louvain, 1608). This was dedicated to Ernest of Bavaria (1554–1612), Count Palatine, Archbishop of Cologne and Prince-Bishop of Liege, now known as a fervent patron of new sciences and arts, including Paracelsian medicine and alchemy.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Soul and the Body
3. Imagination and 'Phantasia'
4. Maternal Desire and Imagination
5. Conclusion
Recent studies have shed new light on the historical and intellectual background of the issue, although its complete history has yet to be written. In this article I will focus on the intervention of early modern learned medicine in the theorization of this belief. To this end I will address the case of Thomas Feyens or Fienus (1567–1631) of Antwerp, who wrote a monograph devoted to the power of imagination in the embryological framework.
Fienus was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain from the end of the sixteenth century until his death and published a series of embryological works. Among these works there is a treatise, entitled "On the Forces of the Imagination" (Louvain, 1608). This was dedicated to Ernest of Bavaria (1554–1612), Count Palatine, Archbishop of Cologne and Prince-Bishop of Liege, now known as a fervent patron of new sciences and arts, including Paracelsian medicine and alchemy.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Soul and the Body
3. Imagination and 'Phantasia'
4. Maternal Desire and Imagination
5. Conclusion
Research Interests:
Sixteenth-century natural philosophers and physicians crafted novel ideas on bodies and their internal powers. Their theories often went far beyond the framework of the traditional Aristotelian perspective, influencing the broader... more
Sixteenth-century natural philosophers and physicians crafted novel ideas on bodies and their internal powers. Their theories often went far beyond the framework of the traditional Aristotelian perspective, influencing the broader philosophical scene of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Although the principal actors in Renaissance natural philosophy had a variety of motivations and points of departure, many of them were medically educated humanists or humanistically trained physicians. This was the case, for example, of Jean Fernel, Girolamo Cardano and Julius Caesar Scaliger. Under the influence of these figures, eminent writers such as Bernardino Telesio and Justus Lipsius, though not educated as physicians, took pains to engage in discussions of the natural world. Their writings exerted a considerable impact on later generations.
Contents
1. Natural Philosophy, Medicine and Alchemy
1-1. Medicine
1-2. Alchemy/Chymistry
2. The Formative and Plastic Power of the Seed
2-1. Galen's Idea Revived
2-2. The Seed's Celestial Force
2-3. The Plastic Faculty as God's Invisible Hand
2-4. Toward Plastic Nature
3. Spirits, Cosmic Heat and the Principle of Life
3-1. Spirits and Their Celestial Origin
3-2. Cosmic Heat and the World-Soul
3-3. The Spirit as the Material Crystallization of Cosmic Heat
4. Seeds and the Seminal Principle
4-1. Ubiquity of Invisible Seeds in Nature
4-2. The Christianization of Cosmic Heat
4-3. A Synthesis as a the Philosophy of Seeds
- References
Contents
1. Natural Philosophy, Medicine and Alchemy
1-1. Medicine
1-2. Alchemy/Chymistry
2. The Formative and Plastic Power of the Seed
2-1. Galen's Idea Revived
2-2. The Seed's Celestial Force
2-3. The Plastic Faculty as God's Invisible Hand
2-4. Toward Plastic Nature
3. Spirits, Cosmic Heat and the Principle of Life
3-1. Spirits and Their Celestial Origin
3-2. Cosmic Heat and the World-Soul
3-3. The Spirit as the Material Crystallization of Cosmic Heat
4. Seeds and the Seminal Principle
4-1. Ubiquity of Invisible Seeds in Nature
4-2. The Christianization of Cosmic Heat
4-3. A Synthesis as a the Philosophy of Seeds
- References
Research Interests:
Under a political mission of the radical Calvinist prince Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg, Oswald Croll (ca. 1560-1608) settled in Prague until his death and frequented the court of Rudolf II, where he composed his masterpiece, "Basilica... more
Under a political mission of the radical Calvinist prince Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg, Oswald Croll (ca. 1560-1608) settled in Prague until his death and frequented the court of Rudolf II, where he composed his masterpiece, "Basilica chymica" (Frankfurt, 1609). Croll occupied a singular place in the Paracelsian movement. His work, elaborated under the strong influence of the Danish Petrus Severinus (1540/42-1609), enjoyed an enormous success. Past studies devoted to Croll, however, have not been much successful in locating his philosophy among various trends of Paracelsianism. Severinus’s "Idea medicinae" (Basel, 1571) and his follower Joseph Du Chesne’s (1546-1609) "Ad veritatem hermeticae medicinae" (Paris, 1604), fundamental to the genesis of his system, have been largely neglected. The present article aims to shed a new light on Croll’s philosophy, by focusing on the concept of “seeds” (semina), so important in this Severinian trend of Paracelsianism to which he belonged. Standing at the very core of Croll’s system, the concept was intimately related to the notion of the Word of God, which gave the foundation of his quest for the universal medicine.
Research Interests:
In the early modern period, medical humanists and their heirs carried out debates on the generation of living beings. Their debates played a significant role in natural philosophy and shaped the new understanding of the place and status... more
In the early modern period, medical humanists and their heirs carried out debates on the generation of living beings. Their debates played a significant role in natural philosophy and shaped the new understanding of the place and status of animals and human beings in nature. This article will focus on the theoretical and philosophical aspects of these debates, especially some key notions such as the seed’s formative power, inner soul and nature. What was their historical and intellectual context? What motivated medical humanists and natural philosophers to refute or adopt existing ideas or to formulate alleged new theories? How did these issues affect or transform traditional perceptions of animals and human beings? To respond such questions, this article will take up the embryological work of some representative figures of diverse geographical, intellectual and confessional backgrounds.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Leoniceno and the Formative Power of the Seed
3. Jean Fernel and the Celestial Force of the Seed
4. Jacob Schegk's Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
5. Liceti's Theory of Rudimentary Form
6. Sennert on Animal Generation
7. A Brief Conclusion
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Leoniceno and the Formative Power of the Seed
3. Jean Fernel and the Celestial Force of the Seed
4. Jacob Schegk's Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
5. Liceti's Theory of Rudimentary Form
6. Sennert on Animal Generation
7. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
This paper aims to spotlight some important, but neglected, aspects of early modern interactions between matter theories and the life sciences. It will trace the ways in which atomistic or corpuscular modes of reasoning were adopted to... more
This paper aims to spotlight some important, but neglected, aspects of early modern interactions between matter theories and the life sciences. It will trace the ways in which atomistic or corpuscular modes of reasoning were adopted to explain the origin of life. To that end this paper will examine three seventeenth-century natural philosophers: Daniel Sennert (1572–1637), Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655) and Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680). Through the analysis of their discussions on the minute constitutive parts of living beings (plants, animals and human beings) as living corpuscles, it will inquire into the exchange of ideas among those who advocated “non-mechanist” or “vitalistic” types of corpuscular philosophy. This paper’s ultimate goal is to shed light on the role of bio-medical ideas in seventeenth-century natural philosophy.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Sennert, Corpuscles and Spontaneous Generation
3. Gassendi and Seminal Molecules
4. Kircher and the Corpuscular Origin of Life
5. A Brief Conclusion
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Sennert, Corpuscles and Spontaneous Generation
3. Gassendi and Seminal Molecules
4. Kircher and the Corpuscular Origin of Life
5. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In 1629, a strange treatise, entitled "Curiositez inouyes," or, "Unheard-of Curiosities," was published in Paris. Its author was Jacques Gaffarel, a French orientalist and a friend of atomist Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655). This work of over... more
In 1629, a strange treatise, entitled "Curiositez inouyes," or, "Unheard-of Curiosities," was published in Paris. Its author was Jacques Gaffarel, a French orientalist and a friend of atomist Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655). This work of over six hundred pages in octavo was devoted to the astrology, horoscope and talismans of the Orientals, that is, the "Eastern" Peoples. Originally written in French, it was more widely diffused after being translated into English in 1650 and into Latin in 1676. Its success lasted at least until the early eighteenth century, the dawn of the era of the Enlightenment. In this article I will focus on the second part of his treatise, which is the longest section and which establishes the theoretical foundation of Gaffarel’s science of figures and images. Through this analysis I wish to explore his ideas on the power of images to operate and their eventual relationship with the medical current of his time.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Belonging to the very first generation of medical humanists active in Italy at the turn of the sixteenth century, Nicolò Leoniceno was prolific in producing widely-used translations of Galen’s works. By examining the confrontation between... more
Belonging to the very first generation of medical humanists active in Italy at the turn of the sixteenth century, Nicolò Leoniceno was prolific in producing widely-used translations of Galen’s works. By examining the confrontation between the medieval Arabo-Latin tradition and Renaissance humanism in natural philosophy, this article aims to analyze the continuity of a traditional debate as it underwent a transformation via the new elements introduced by the humanist movement. Galen’s newly recovered embryological treatise "On the Formation of the Fetus" profoundly stimulated the debate on the nature of the formative power of the seed. Starting from Galen’s ideas as found in this treatise, Leoniceno composed one of the first “humanist” embryological works, "On Formative Power" (Venice, 1506). This treatise documents the beginning of a shift of the authority on which scholarship was based—from Arabic writers (Avicenna and Averroes) and their Latin followers (Pietro d’Abano and Gentile da Foligno) to the classical Greek sources, including not only the works of Galen himself but also the new Latin translation of Aristotle’s corpus as well as the newly recovered writings of Aristotle’s Greek commentators such as Simplicius and Michael of Ephesus. Leoniceno’s use of these commentators is particularly noteworthy because he was one of the first humanists to make recourse to them in medical and scientific discussions. Moreover, his familiarity with ongoing debates on the soul and intellect by his humanist contemporaries, such as the Florentine Platonists, will also become evident. Certainly, a typical humanist way of doing natural philosophy can be observed in Leoniceno’s text.
Research Interests:
The work of Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), professor of medicine at the Lutheran University of Wittenberg, encompasses the cluster of issues raised by the early seventeenth-century intersection of matter theories and the life sciences, where... more
The work of Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), professor of medicine at the Lutheran University of Wittenberg, encompasses the cluster of issues raised by the early seventeenth-century intersection of matter theories and the life sciences, where the origin of life emerged as one of the most important questions. There the belief in spontaneous generation was particularly pertinent. Sennert wrote a treatise precisely on this subject, entitled "De spontaneo viventium ortu," published at the end of his masterpiece "Hypomnemata physica" (Frankfurt, 1636). There he developed a corpuscular interpretation of the origin of life to explain spontaneous generation, while biological generation provided the foundational model for his philosophical reflections in general. This article first analyzes Sennert’s discussions on the “normal” generation of living beings (plants, animals and human beings), the discussions which provide the basis of his doctrine on the origin of souls. Then his theory of spontaneous generation is examined on its own.
1. Introduction
2. The Origin of the Soul in Normal Generation
2.1. The Giver of Forms and Astral Causality
2.2. The Eduction of Forms
2.3. Jacob Schegk and Plastic Force
2.4. The Nature of the Seed and Its “Spiritus”
3. Spontaneous Generation in Sennert
3.1. The Soul, Seminal Principle and Corpuscles
3.2. The Atoms of Living Beings and Their Souls
4. Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. The Origin of the Soul in Normal Generation
2.1. The Giver of Forms and Astral Causality
2.2. The Eduction of Forms
2.3. Jacob Schegk and Plastic Force
2.4. The Nature of the Seed and Its “Spiritus”
3. Spontaneous Generation in Sennert
3.1. The Soul, Seminal Principle and Corpuscles
3.2. The Atoms of Living Beings and Their Souls
4. Conclusions
Research Interests: History, Philosophy, 17th Century & Early Modern Philosophy, History of Ideas, Theology, and 14 moreEarly Modern History, History of Religion, History of Medicine, Renaissance Studies, History of Science, Origins of Life, Reformation Studies, History of Atomism, Science, Biology, History of Biology, Medicine, Spontaneous generation, and History of Philosophy
"1. Introduction 2. Leoniceno’s Naturalistic Interpretation 3. Fernel’s Astral Medicine 4. Mizauld’s Harmony between Heaven and Earth 5. Cardano’s Theory of Cosmic Heat 6. Gemma and the Apogee of Astral Medicine 7. The Paracelsians... more
"1. Introduction
2. Leoniceno’s Naturalistic Interpretation
3. Fernel’s Astral Medicine
4. Mizauld’s Harmony between Heaven and Earth
5. Cardano’s Theory of Cosmic Heat
6. Gemma and the Apogee of Astral Medicine
7. The Paracelsians and the Quest for the Universal Medicine"
2. Leoniceno’s Naturalistic Interpretation
3. Fernel’s Astral Medicine
4. Mizauld’s Harmony between Heaven and Earth
5. Cardano’s Theory of Cosmic Heat
6. Gemma and the Apogee of Astral Medicine
7. The Paracelsians and the Quest for the Universal Medicine"
Research Interests:
Contents 1. Introduction 2. Seneca's Works in Lipsius' "Physiologia Stoicorum" 3. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" I 4. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" II 5. "Naturales Quaestiones" in... more
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Seneca's Works in Lipsius' "Physiologia Stoicorum"
3. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" I
4. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" II
5. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" III
Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. Seneca's Works in Lipsius' "Physiologia Stoicorum"
3. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" I
4. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" II
5. "Naturales Quaestiones" in "Physiologia Stoicorum" III
Conclusions
Research Interests:
1. Introduction 2. The Divine Forces of Forms 3. God the Creator and Fetal Formation 4. The Divine and Celestial Nature of the Soul 5. The Notion of Faculty 6. The Formative Force and the Divine Craftsman in the Seed 7. The 'Spiritus' and... more
1. Introduction
2. The Divine Forces of Forms
3. God the Creator and Fetal Formation
4. The Divine and Celestial Nature of the Soul
5. The Notion of Faculty
6. The Formative Force and the Divine Craftsman in the Seed
7. The 'Spiritus' and Its Innate Heat
8. The Physiological Functions and Their Occult Causes
9. Fernel's Source
10. Conclusion
2. The Divine Forces of Forms
3. God the Creator and Fetal Formation
4. The Divine and Celestial Nature of the Soul
5. The Notion of Faculty
6. The Formative Force and the Divine Craftsman in the Seed
7. The 'Spiritus' and Its Innate Heat
8. The Physiological Functions and Their Occult Causes
9. Fernel's Source
10. Conclusion
Research Interests:
Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), the editor of the complete works of Seneca, composed his treatise "Physiologia Stoicorum" (Antwerp, 1604) in order to understand better the philosophy of the Roman moralist. To reconcile the Stoic doctrines... more
Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), the editor of the complete works of Seneca, composed his treatise "Physiologia Stoicorum" (Antwerp, 1604) in order to understand better the philosophy of the Roman moralist. To reconcile the Stoic doctrines with Christianity, he tried to play down their materialism. His attitude toward the theory of the World-Soul not only reflects this concern but also is influenced by Renaissance belief in the "ancient theology" (prisca theologia). This study examines Lipsius' interpretation of the World-Soul in this historical and intellectual context. It especially focuses on Lipsius' goal, method and strategy in his handling of the sources.
1. Introduction
2. God and the World-Soul
2-1. The Nature of God
2-2. God, Spiritus and the World-Soul
3. The World-Soul and the Macrocosm
3-1. The Creation of the World and its Seed
3-2. The World as a Rational Animal
3-3. Ether, the Stars and the World-Soul
4. The World-Soul and the Microcosm
4-1. The Celestial Seed and Human Generation
4-2. The Human Soul, ether and World-Soul
5. Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. God and the World-Soul
2-1. The Nature of God
2-2. God, Spiritus and the World-Soul
3. The World-Soul and the Macrocosm
3-1. The Creation of the World and its Seed
3-2. The World as a Rational Animal
3-3. Ether, the Stars and the World-Soul
4. The World-Soul and the Microcosm
4-1. The Celestial Seed and Human Generation
4-2. The Human Soul, ether and World-Soul
5. Conclusions
Research Interests:
In his "Platonic Theology on the Immortality of Souls" (1482), Marsilio Ficino defended the idea of the world's universal animation. In this purpose, he especially developed a ‘Platonic’ interpretation of spontaneous generation, relying... more
In his "Platonic Theology on the Immortality of Souls" (1482), Marsilio Ficino defended the idea of the world's universal animation. In this purpose, he especially developed a ‘Platonic’ interpretation of spontaneous generation, relying not only on the notions of Ideas and the World-Soul but also on his own theory of the ‘earth’s soul’ (anima terrae), which influenced a number of natural philosophers in the end of the Renaissance such as Giordano Bruno and Johannes Kepler. This study analyzes the Ficinian theory in the mirror of the criticism formulated by Fortunio Liceti in his "On the Spontaneous Generation of Living Beings" (1618).
1. Introduction
2. Liceti's "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (1618)
3. Junior Platonicists and the World-Soul
4. Major Platonists and the Ideas
5. Ficino and the Earth's Soul
6. Cicero's "De natura deorum" as the source of Ficino?
1. Introduction
2. Liceti's "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (1618)
3. Junior Platonicists and the World-Soul
4. Major Platonists and the Ideas
5. Ficino and the Earth's Soul
6. Cicero's "De natura deorum" as the source of Ficino?
Research Interests:
The Jesuit father Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) tried to interpret the Creation of the world and to explain the origin of life in the last book of his geocosmic encyclopedia, "Mundus subterraneus" (Amsterdam, 1664–1665). His... more
The Jesuit father Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) tried to interpret the Creation of the world and to explain the origin of life in the last book of his geocosmic encyclopedia, "Mundus subterraneus" (Amsterdam, 1664–1665). His interpretation largely depended on the ‘concept of seeds’ which was derived from the tradition of Renaissance ‘chymical’ (chemical and alchemical) philosophy. The impact of Paracelsianism on his vision of the world is also undeniable. Through this undertaking, Kircher developed a corpuscular perspective to explain the spontaneous generation of living beings. The present study examines Kircher's theory and its relationship with his chymical interpretation of the Creation in order to place it in its own intellectual and historical context and will uncover one of its most important sources.
1. Introduction
2. Creation, Chaotic Matter and Panspermia
3. The Three Principles and The Influence of Paracelsianism
4. Plastic Power
5. Spontaneous Generation and Corpuscles of Life
1. Introduction
2. Creation, Chaotic Matter and Panspermia
3. The Three Principles and The Influence of Paracelsianism
4. Plastic Power
5. Spontaneous Generation and Corpuscles of Life
Research Interests:
Known under the latinized name Quercetanus, the French Paracelsian Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609) was a physician and political agent of the first French protestant king Henri IV. He exerted a profound influence on Paracelsianism, or rather... more
Known under the latinized name Quercetanus, the French Paracelsian Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609) was a physician and political agent of the first French protestant king Henri IV. He exerted a profound influence on Paracelsianism, or rather the chemical philosophy of the beginning of the 17th century. His main work "Ad veritatem hermeticae medicinae" (Paris, 1604) have almost never been studied by historians seriously in spite of its impact on the later generations. A part from Didier Kahn’s biographical study in his Ph. D. dissertation, the longest studies on Du Chesne remained R. Hooykaas’ treatment in his History of the Concept of Element and A.G. Debus’ Paracelsian studies. This article analyzes Du Chesne’s matter theory and replaced it in its own historical and intellectual context by focusing on its Paracelsian, Neoplatonic and Humanistic aspects. It aims to be the first step towards the future full-scale study of the Quercetanian chemical philosophy
Research Interests:
Visit and download the original English version, published later in December 2016:... more
Visit and download the original English version, published later in December 2016:
https://www.academia.edu/30809240/_The_Word_of_God_and_the_Universal_Medicine_in_the_Chemical_Philosophy_of_Oswald_Croll_in_Alchemy_and_Rudolf_II_Exploring_the_Secrets_of_Nature_in_Central_Europe_in_the_16th_and_17th_Centuries_ed._Ivo_Purs_and_Vlasimir_Karpenko_Prague_Artefactum_2016_381-385
https://www.academia.edu/30809240/_The_Word_of_God_and_the_Universal_Medicine_in_the_Chemical_Philosophy_of_Oswald_Croll_in_Alchemy_and_Rudolf_II_Exploring_the_Secrets_of_Nature_in_Central_Europe_in_the_16th_and_17th_Centuries_ed._Ivo_Purs_and_Vlasimir_Karpenko_Prague_Artefactum_2016_381-385
Research Interests:
In his work "De naturae divinis characterismis" (Antwerp, 1575), Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578), the royal professor of medicine at the university of Louvain, called upon the authority of Hippocrates in many occasions. It is not the details... more
In his work "De naturae divinis characterismis" (Antwerp, 1575), Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578), the royal professor of medicine at the university of Louvain, called upon the authority of Hippocrates in many occasions. It is not the details of Hippocrates’ medical teaching that attracted him primarily. But it is because Gemma believed to be able to find for the Greek physician a central position in the tradition of the ancient wisdom. Thus he developed the philosophical interpretation of Hippocrates, basing himself on the belief in the "ancient theology" (prisca theologia). Indeed, this belief, stemming from the work of the Florentine metaphysician Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) and developed in the stream of Renaissance Neoplatonism, was in vogue in his time. The present study aims to give the first analysis of the nature and historical and intellectual context of his Hippocratism founded on this belief. The approach of Gemma is namely influenced by the works of two leading medicals humanists, Jean Fernel (1497-1558) and Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576). If the quest of the “divine” to which the Prognostic of Hippocrates appeals is important in medicine for Gemma just as for Fernel, the medical prognostication shares a common base with divination and is intimately related to astrology and prophecy in Gemma just as in Cardano. But it should be said that, in his philosophical, or more precisely, Neoplatonic interpretation of Hippocrates, the treatise "On Regimen" occupies the central place.
1. Introduction
2. Fernel and Hippocratic Notion of “Divine”
3. Cardano and his philosophical Hippocratism
4. Gemma and his Neoplatonic Hippocratism
5. Petrus Severinus and Parisian Connection?
1. Introduction
2. Fernel and Hippocratic Notion of “Divine”
3. Cardano and his philosophical Hippocratism
4. Gemma and his Neoplatonic Hippocratism
5. Petrus Severinus and Parisian Connection?
Research Interests:
In his embryological treatise "De plastica seminis facultate" (Strasburg, 1580), Jacob Schegk (1511-1587), the professor of philosophy and medicine at the University of Tübingen, developed, through a unique interpretation of the... more
In his embryological treatise "De plastica seminis facultate" (Strasburg, 1580), Jacob Schegk (1511-1587), the professor of philosophy and medicine at the University of Tübingen, developed, through a unique interpretation of the Aristotelian embryology, a theory of the "plastic faculty" (facultas plastica), whose origin lies in the Galenic idea of the formative power. The present study analyses the precise nature of Schegk's theory, by setting it in its historical and intellectual context. It will also discuss the hitherto unappreciated Neoplatonic dimension of Schegk's notion of the soul's vehicle.
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Nature of the Plastic Faculty
4. Is the Plastic logos corporeal or incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic logos a part of the Soul?
8. Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Nature of the Plastic Faculty
4. Is the Plastic logos corporeal or incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic logos a part of the Soul?
8. Conclusion
Research Interests:
Although the "sceptical chymist" Robert Boyle is generally known as an experimental natural philosopher, he was also the child of a culture of bookish erudition. By quoting diverse classical, medieval, Renaissance and contemporary... more
Although the "sceptical chymist" Robert Boyle is generally known as an experimental natural philosopher, he was also the child of a culture of bookish erudition. By quoting diverse classical, medieval, Renaissance and contemporary authors, he gave to his readers the impression that he could avail himself of a very wide range of sources. In some cases, however, his apparent erudition was largely dependant on contemporary doxographical commonplace-books. This article unveils one of these books, Johann Gerhard's "Decas quaestionum physico-chymicarum de metallis" (1643), which served Boyle as his secret source for past authoritative views on the issue of the growth of metals. We also discuss the way in which he manipulated the information he found in this book in order to increase the credibility of his own discourse.
1. Introduction
2. “Observations about the Growth of Metals” (1674)
3. Gerhard in Boyl’s "Sceptical Chymist"
4. Johann Gerhard and his chymico-mineralogical work (1643)
5. How did Boyle know Gerhard’s treatise?
6. Conclusions
7. Appendix
1. Introduction
2. “Observations about the Growth of Metals” (1674)
3. Gerhard in Boyl’s "Sceptical Chymist"
4. Johann Gerhard and his chymico-mineralogical work (1643)
5. How did Boyle know Gerhard’s treatise?
6. Conclusions
7. Appendix
Research Interests:
1. Introduction 2. The Commentary on Plato's Symposium 3. The Commentary on Plato's Timaeus 4. The Platonic Theology 5. The De vita coelitus comparanda 6. The Commentary on the Enneades of Plotinus 7. The Sources for his Concept of... more
1. Introduction
2. The Commentary on Plato's Symposium
3. The Commentary on Plato's Timaeus
4. The Platonic Theology
5. The De vita coelitus comparanda
6. The Commentary on the Enneades of Plotinus
7. The Sources for his Concept of Seeds
2. The Commentary on Plato's Symposium
3. The Commentary on Plato's Timaeus
4. The Platonic Theology
5. The De vita coelitus comparanda
6. The Commentary on the Enneades of Plotinus
7. The Sources for his Concept of Seeds
Research Interests:
The famous Jesuit father Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) tried to interpret the Creation of the world and to explain the origin of life in the last book of his geocosmic encyclopedia, Mundus subterraneus (Amsterdam, 1664–1665). His... more
The famous Jesuit father Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) tried to interpret the Creation of the world and to explain the origin of life in the last book of his geocosmic encyclopedia, Mundus subterraneus (Amsterdam, 1664–1665). His interpretation largely depended on the ‘concept of seeds’ which was derived from the tradition of Renaissance ‘chymical’ (chemical and alchemical) philosophy. The impact of Paracelsianism on his vision of the world is also undeniable. Through this undertaking, Kircher namely developed a corpuscular theory for the spontaneous generation of living beings. The present study examines this theory and its relationship with Kircher's chymical interpretation of the Creation in order to place it in its own intellectual and historical context and will uncover one of its most important sources.
1. Introduction
2. Concept de semence et interprétation chymique de la Genèse
2.1. Matière chaotique, panspermie et semence universelle
2.2. Les trois principes et l’influence du paracelsisme
2.3. Sel de la Nature, feu éthéré et ‘to theion’
2.4. La vertu plastique
3. Le problème de la génération spontanée
3.1. La ‘semence séparée’ du corps des vivants
3.2. L’âme matérielle et les corpuscules de la vie
3.3. La génération spontanée est-elle vraiment spontanée?
4. Bref coup d’œil sur la source de Kircher
1. Introduction
2. Concept de semence et interprétation chymique de la Genèse
2.1. Matière chaotique, panspermie et semence universelle
2.2. Les trois principes et l’influence du paracelsisme
2.3. Sel de la Nature, feu éthéré et ‘to theion’
2.4. La vertu plastique
3. Le problème de la génération spontanée
3.1. La ‘semence séparée’ du corps des vivants
3.2. L’âme matérielle et les corpuscules de la vie
3.3. La génération spontanée est-elle vraiment spontanée?
4. Bref coup d’œil sur la source de Kircher
Research Interests:
In his work entitled De naturae divinis characterismis (Antwerp, 1575), Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578), royal professor of medicine at the university of Louvain, makes recourse to the authority of Hippocrates in many occasions. It is not the... more
In his work entitled De naturae divinis characterismis (Antwerp, 1575), Cornelius Gemma (1535-1578), royal professor of medicine at the university of Louvain, makes recourse to the authority of Hippocrates in many occasions. It is not the details of Hippocrates’ medical teaching that attracted him primarily. But it is because Gemma believed to be able to find for the Greek physician a central position in the tradition of the ancient wisdom. Thus he developed the philosophical interpretation of Hippocrates, basing himself on the belief in the « ancient theology » (prisca theologia). Indeed, this belief, stemming from the work of the Florentine metaphysician Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) and developed in the stream of Renaissance Neoplatonism, was in vogue in his time. The present study aims to give the first analysis of the nature and historical and intellectual context of his Hippocratism founded on this belief. The approach of Gemma is namely influenced by the works of two leading medicals humanists, Jean Fernel (1497-1558) and Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576). If the quest of the “divine” to which the Prognostic of Hippocrates appeals is important in medicine for Gemma just as for Fernel, the medical prognostication shares a common base with divination and is intimately related to astrology and prophecy in Gemma just as in Cardano. But it should be said that, in his philosophical, or more precisely, Neoplatonic interpretation of Hippocrates, the treatise On Regimen occupies the central place.
Research Interests:
Although the "sceptical chymist" Robert Boyle is generally known as an experimental natural philosopher, he was also the child of a culture of bookish erudition. By quoting diverse classical, medieval, Renaissance and contemporary... more
Although the "sceptical chymist" Robert Boyle is generally known as an experimental natural philosopher, he was also the child of a culture of bookish erudition. By quoting diverse classical, medieval, Renaissance and contemporary authors, he gave to his readers the impression that he could avail himself of a very wide range of sources. In some cases, however, his apparent erudition was largely dependant on contemporary doxographical commonplace-books. This article unveils one of these books, Johann Gerhard's "Decas quaestionum physico-chymicarum de metallis" (1643), which served Boyle as his secret source for past authoritative views on the issue of the growth of metals. We also discuss the way in which he manipulated the information he found in this book in order to increase the credibility of his own discourse.
1. Introduction
2. “Observations about the Growth of Metals” (1674)
3. Gerhard in Boyl’s "Sceptical Chymist"
4. Johann Gerhard and his chymico-mineralogical work (1643)
5. How did Boyle know Gerhard’s treatise?
6. Conclusions
7. Appendix
1. Introduction
2. “Observations about the Growth of Metals” (1674)
3. Gerhard in Boyl’s "Sceptical Chymist"
4. Johann Gerhard and his chymico-mineralogical work (1643)
5. How did Boyle know Gerhard’s treatise?
6. Conclusions
7. Appendix
Research Interests: Alchemy and Robert Boyle
Paracelsus's concept of seeds is an important contribution to Renaissance matter theories. Unlike the alchemical notion of metallic seeds, it has a strong Christian orientation, based on a particular interpretation of the biblical... more
Paracelsus's concept of seeds is an important contribution to Renaissance matter theories. Unlike the alchemical notion of metallic seeds, it has a strong Christian orientation, based on a particular interpretation of the biblical Creation story. It is in this cosmogonical aspect that Paraclesian seeds are more akin to the seminal reasons of Augustine to the "logoi spermatikoi" of the Stoics or Plotinus. The present study examines the Augustinian backgrounds of this Paracelsian concept and Marsilio Ficino's intermediary role in its genesis.
1. Introduction : la doctrine des logoi spermatikoi
2. Le principe séminal chez les Stoïciens, Plotin et Augustin
3. Le concept de semence dans la minéralogie de Paracelse
4. Les semences dans l’interprétation paracelsienne de la Genèse
5. Le rôle intermédiaire de Marsile Ficin
6. Conclusion
Now see its English version: http://bit.ly/2EQL4hA
1. Introduction : la doctrine des logoi spermatikoi
2. Le principe séminal chez les Stoïciens, Plotin et Augustin
3. Le concept de semence dans la minéralogie de Paracelse
4. Les semences dans l’interprétation paracelsienne de la Genèse
5. Le rôle intermédiaire de Marsile Ficin
6. Conclusion
Now see its English version: http://bit.ly/2EQL4hA
Research Interests:
Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), the editor of the complete works of Seneca, composed his treatise "Physiologia Stoicorum" (Antwerp, 1604) in order to understand better the philosophy of the Roman moralist. To reconcile the Stoic doctrines... more
Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), the editor of the complete works of Seneca, composed his treatise "Physiologia Stoicorum" (Antwerp, 1604) in order to understand better the philosophy of the Roman moralist. To reconcile the Stoic doctrines with Christianity, he tried to play down their materialism. His attitude toward the theory of the World-Soul not only reflects this concern but also is influenced by Renaissance belief in the "ancient theology" (prisca theologia). This study examines Lipsius' interpretation of the World-Soul in this historical and intellectual context. It especially focuses on Lipsius' goal, method and strategy in his handling of the sources.
Éditeur de l’œuvre complète de Sénèque, Juste Lipse (1547-1606) crée son traité Physiologia Stoicorum (Anvers, 1604) pour mieux comprendre la pensée du moraliste romain. Afin d’harmoniser les doctrines stoïciennes avec le christianisme, il essaie d’atténuer leur côté matérialiste. Son attitude envers la théorie de l’âme du monde, reflétant ce souci, est influencée par la croyance renaissante à la prisca theologia. La présente étude examine l’interprétation que Lipse propose de l’âme du monde dans ce contexte historique et intellectuel. Elle vise surtout à analyser le but, la méthode et la stratégie du maniement de ses sources.
Key words: Justus Lipsius, Seneca, World-Soul, cosmic theology, prisca theologia
1. Introduction
2. Dieu et l’âme du monde
2-1. La nature de Dieu
2-2. Dieu, le spiritus et l’âme du monde
3. L’âme du monde et le macrocosme
3-1. La création du monde et sa semence
3-2. Le monde comme un animal rationnel
3-3. L’éther, les astres et l’âme du monde
4. L’âme du monde et le microcosme
4-1. La semence céleste et la génération humaine
4-2. L’âme humaine, l’éther et l’âme du monde
5. Conclusions
Éditeur de l’œuvre complète de Sénèque, Juste Lipse (1547-1606) crée son traité Physiologia Stoicorum (Anvers, 1604) pour mieux comprendre la pensée du moraliste romain. Afin d’harmoniser les doctrines stoïciennes avec le christianisme, il essaie d’atténuer leur côté matérialiste. Son attitude envers la théorie de l’âme du monde, reflétant ce souci, est influencée par la croyance renaissante à la prisca theologia. La présente étude examine l’interprétation que Lipse propose de l’âme du monde dans ce contexte historique et intellectuel. Elle vise surtout à analyser le but, la méthode et la stratégie du maniement de ses sources.
Key words: Justus Lipsius, Seneca, World-Soul, cosmic theology, prisca theologia
1. Introduction
2. Dieu et l’âme du monde
2-1. La nature de Dieu
2-2. Dieu, le spiritus et l’âme du monde
3. L’âme du monde et le macrocosme
3-1. La création du monde et sa semence
3-2. Le monde comme un animal rationnel
3-3. L’éther, les astres et l’âme du monde
4. L’âme du monde et le microcosme
4-1. La semence céleste et la génération humaine
4-2. L’âme humaine, l’éther et l’âme du monde
5. Conclusions
Research Interests:
In his treatise "De spontaneo viventium ortu," published at the end of his masterpiece "Hypomnemata physica" (Wittenberg, 1636), the professor of medicine at Wittenberg, Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), built his corpuscular interpretation of... more
In his treatise "De spontaneo viventium ortu," published at the end of his masterpiece "Hypomnemata physica" (Wittenberg, 1636), the professor of medicine at Wittenberg, Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), built his corpuscular interpretation of the origin of life upon a singular synthesis of Aristotelian hylomorphism and Democretean atomism. By this theory, he tired to explain among other things the spontaneous generation of living beings. The present study examines Sennert’s theory of biological generation and in particular his ideas on the atoms of living beings and the souls conveyed by these atoms. It reveals that Sennert’s reading of the professor of medicine at Padua Fortunio Liceti’s (1577-1657) work "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (Vicenza, 1618) was a major factor by which his atomist conviction was reinforced after 1619. The present case-study of Sennert sheds light on the impact of biological speculations on the evolution of early modern matter theories.
1. Introduction
2. L’origine de l’âme dans la génération normale
2-1. Le donateur des formes et la causalité astrale
2-2. L’éduction des formes
2-3. Jacob Schegk et la force plastique
2-4. La nature de la semence et du spiritus séminal
3. La génération spontanée selon Sennert
3-1. L’âme, le principe séminal et les corpuscules
3-2. Les atomes des vivants et leur âme
4. Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. L’origine de l’âme dans la génération normale
2-1. Le donateur des formes et la causalité astrale
2-2. L’éduction des formes
2-3. Jacob Schegk et la force plastique
2-4. La nature de la semence et du spiritus séminal
3. La génération spontanée selon Sennert
3-1. L’âme, le principe séminal et les corpuscules
3-2. Les atomes des vivants et leur âme
4. Conclusions
Research Interests:
In his embryological treatise "De plastica seminis facultate" (Strasburg, 1580), Jacob Schegk (1511-1587), the professor of philosophy and medicine at the University of Tübingen, developed, through a unique interpretation of the... more
In his embryological treatise "De plastica seminis facultate" (Strasburg, 1580), Jacob Schegk (1511-1587), the professor of philosophy and medicine at the University of Tübingen, developed, through a unique interpretation of the Aristotelian embryology, a theory of the "plastic faculty" (facultas plastica), whose origin lies in the Galenic idea of the formative power. The present study analyses the precise nature of Schegk's theory, by setting it in its historical and intellectual context. It will also discuss the hitherto unappreciated Neoplatonic dimension of Schegk's notion of the soul's vehicle.
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Nature of the Plastic Faculty
4. Is the Plastic logos corporeal or incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic logos a part of the Soul?
8. Conclusio
1. Introduction
2. The Plastic Faculty as the Instrument of God
3. The Nature of the Plastic Faculty
4. Is the Plastic logos corporeal or incorporeal?
5. The Divine Vehicle of the Plastic Faculty
6. The Separability of the Divine Vehicle
7. Is the Plastic logos a part of the Soul?
8. Conclusio
Research Interests:
The treatise "On Formative Power" (De virtute formativa) (Venice, 1506) of Ferrara's emblematic medical humanist, Nicolò Leoniceno (1428-1524), is the one of the first embryological monographs of the Renaissance. It shows, at the same... more
The treatise "On Formative Power" (De virtute formativa) (Venice, 1506) of Ferrara's emblematic medical humanist, Nicolò Leoniceno (1428-1524), is the one of the first embryological monographs of the Renaissance. It shows, at the same time, the continuity of medieval Arabo-Latin tradition and the new elements brought by Renaissance medical humanism, namely through the use of the ancient Greek commentators of Aristotle like Simplicius. Thus this treatise stands at the crossroad of these two currents. The present study analyses the range of Leoniceno's philosophical discussion, determines its exact sources and brings to light premises for the early modern development of the concept of formative force, which will end up in the theory of "plastic nature" at the heart of the Scientific Revolution.
1. Introduction
2. Galien : âme végétative et chaleur native
3. Aristote et Pietro d'Abano : chaleur céleste, intellect et véhicule de l’âme
4. Alexandre d'Aphrodise et Simplicius : nature interne de la semence
5. Averroès et Thémistius : Idées, intellect et âme
6. Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. Galien : âme végétative et chaleur native
3. Aristote et Pietro d'Abano : chaleur céleste, intellect et véhicule de l’âme
4. Alexandre d'Aphrodise et Simplicius : nature interne de la semence
5. Averroès et Thémistius : Idées, intellect et âme
6. Conclusions
Research Interests:
In his "Platonic Theology on the Immortality of Souls" (1482), Marsilio Ficino defended the idea of the world's universal animation. In this purpose, he especially developed a ‘Platonic’ interpretation of spontaneous generation, relying... more
In his "Platonic Theology on the Immortality of Souls" (1482), Marsilio Ficino defended the idea of the world's universal animation. In this purpose, he especially developed a ‘Platonic’ interpretation of spontaneous generation, relying not only on the notions of Ideas and the World-Soul but also on his own theory of the ‘earth’s soul’ (anima terrae), which influenced a number of natural philosophers in the end of the Renaissance such as Giordano Bruno and Johannes Kepler. This study analyzes the Ficinian theory in the mirror of the criticism formulated by Fortunio Liceti in his "On the Spontaneous Generation of Living Beings" (1618).
1. Introduction
2. Liceti's "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (1618)
3. "Junior Platonicists" and the World-Soul
4. "Major Platonists" and the Ideas
5. Ficino and the Earth's Soul
6. Cicero's "De natura deorum" as the source of Ficino?
1. Introduction
2. Liceti's "De spontaneo viventium ortu" (1618)
3. "Junior Platonicists" and the World-Soul
4. "Major Platonists" and the Ideas
5. Ficino and the Earth's Soul
6. Cicero's "De natura deorum" as the source of Ficino?
Research Interests:
Girolamo Fracastoro (ca. 1478-1553) of Verona is known mainly by his contagion theory. His idea of the “seeds” (semina) of diseases, already seen in his verse "Syphilis sive morbus gallicus" (Verona, 1530), was transformed into the... more
Girolamo Fracastoro (ca. 1478-1553) of Verona is known mainly by his contagion theory. His idea of the “seeds” (semina) of diseases, already seen in his verse "Syphilis sive morbus gallicus" (Verona, 1530), was transformed into the concept of “seedbed of contagions” (seminaria contagionum) in his treatise "De contagione" (Venice, 1546). Since the influential article of the Singers (1917), it has been widely believed that Fracastoro’s theory was based on Lecretius’ idea of the “seeds of things” (semina rerum). However, there were several authors of his time (1520-1550) who developed the concept of seeds independently from Fracastoro. Jean Fernel (1497-1558) and Paracelsus (ca. 1493-1541) are good examples. Recent studies have shown that the ideas derived from seeds were amply discussed at that time not only in medicine but also in general natural philosophy. The origin of these Renaissance concepts of seeds can be found in the metaphysical cosmology of the Florentine Neoplatonist Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499). This study focuses on the Ficinian connection in the genesis of Fracastoro’s notion of "seminaria".
1. Introduction
2. Marsile Ficin et son concept de semence
3. Jean Fernel et sa réception des seminaria ficiniens
4. Les notions des seminaria et du "spiritus" chez Fracastor
1. Introduction
2. Marsile Ficin et son concept de semence
3. Jean Fernel et sa réception des seminaria ficiniens
4. Les notions des seminaria et du "spiritus" chez Fracastor
Research Interests:
Inspired by Christian Platonism as developed in the late fifteenth-century Florentine milieu, the French physician Jean Fernel proposed a particular interpretation of Galen in a medico-philosophical work entitled "On the Hidden Causes of... more
Inspired by Christian Platonism as developed in the late fifteenth-century Florentine milieu, the French physician Jean Fernel proposed a particular interpretation of Galen in a medico-philosophical work entitled "On the Hidden Causes of Things" (Paris, 1548). With this interpretation, he responded to the serious and urgent need for a reconciliation of the newly reconstituted Galen of Renaissance humanism with Christian faith. The present study examines Fernel's strategy and method in constructing this singular Galenic body of doctrine, special attention being given to the roles attributed to the Creator, the formative force, and the soul. Subsequently, an analysis of the notions of spirit and of its innate heat as indispensable instruments of Fernel's physiology will uncover the very target of his criticism of materialism.
1. Introduction
2. Les forces divines de la forme
3. Dieu le Créateur et la formation du corps humain
4. La nature divine et céleste de l’âme
5. La notion de la “faculté”
6. La force formative et le divin artisan dans le sperme
7. Le spiritus et sa chaleur innée
8. Les fonctions physiologiques et les causes occultes
9. La source de Fernel
Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. Les forces divines de la forme
3. Dieu le Créateur et la formation du corps humain
4. La nature divine et céleste de l’âme
5. La notion de la “faculté”
6. La force formative et le divin artisan dans le sperme
7. Le spiritus et sa chaleur innée
8. Les fonctions physiologiques et les causes occultes
9. La source de Fernel
Conclusions
Research Interests:
Gassendi's theory of molecules as seeds is not a simple adoptation of the Lucretian idea of "semina rerum". It is also strongly influenced by the Renaissance concept of seeds, stemming from Marsilio Ficino's Neoplatonic metaphysical... more
Gassendi's theory of molecules as seeds is not a simple adoptation of the Lucretian idea of "semina rerum". It is also strongly influenced by the Renaissance concept of seeds, stemming from Marsilio Ficino's Neoplatonic metaphysical cosmology and developed in Paracelsian natural philosophy. Examing its historical context and its chemical and biological dimensions, the present study reveals the very source of his idea.
1. Introduction
2. Le concept de semence de Ficin à Gassendi
2-1. Marsile Ficin
2-2. Fernel et Paracelse
2-3. Séverin
3. Le concept de semence de Gassendi
3-1. Les semences dans les science de la matière
3-2. Les semences dans les science de la vie
3-3. La science des semences et l’influence de Séverin
4. Le concept gassendiste chez Francesco Redi (1668)
1. Introduction
2. Le concept de semence de Ficin à Gassendi
2-1. Marsile Ficin
2-2. Fernel et Paracelse
2-3. Séverin
3. Le concept de semence de Gassendi
3-1. Les semences dans les science de la matière
3-2. Les semences dans les science de la vie
3-3. La science des semences et l’influence de Séverin
4. Le concept gassendiste chez Francesco Redi (1668)
Research Interests:
The present study traces the evolution of Marsilio Ficino's concept of seeds: 1) its early reception in his immediate Platonic circle; 2) in the medical milieu (the academic side by Jean Fernel (1546) and the non-university one by... more
The present study traces the evolution of Marsilio Ficino's concept of seeds: 1) its early reception in his immediate Platonic circle; 2) in the medical milieu (the academic side by Jean Fernel (1546) and the non-university one by Paracelsus in 1530's), as well as 3) its synthesis as the "philosophy of seeds" established by the Danish Paracelsian Petrus Severinus (1571).
1. Introduction : le concept de semence chez Ficin
2. La première réception du concept ficinien : Marulle, Augurel et Agrippa
3. Le rôle de Fernel : introduction du concept ficinien dans la médecine académique
4. La cas de Paracelse : interprétation de la Genèse et ombre d’Augustin
5. La synthèse de Séverin : la genèse de la « philosophie des semences »
1. Introduction : le concept de semence chez Ficin
2. La première réception du concept ficinien : Marulle, Augurel et Agrippa
3. Le rôle de Fernel : introduction du concept ficinien dans la médecine académique
4. La cas de Paracelse : interprétation de la Genèse et ombre d’Augustin
5. La synthèse de Séverin : la genèse de la « philosophie des semences »
Research Interests:
Known under the latinized name Quercetanus, the French Paracelsian Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609) was a physician and political agent of the first French protestant king Henri IV. He exerted a profound influence on Paracelsianism, or rather... more
Known under the latinized name Quercetanus, the French Paracelsian Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609) was a physician and political agent of the first French protestant king Henri IV. He exerted a profound influence on Paracelsianism, or rather the chemical philosophy of the beginning of the 17th century. His main work "Ad veritatem hermeticae medicinae" (Paris, 1604) have almost never been studied by historians seriously in spite of its impact on the later generations. A part from Didier Kahn’s biographical study in his Ph. D. dissertation, the longest studies on Du Chesne remained R. Hooykaas’ treatment in his History of the Concept of Element and A.G. Debus’ Paracelsian studies. This article analyzes Du Chesne’s matter theory and replaced it in its own historical and intellectual context by focusing on its Paracelsian, Neoplatonic and Hermetic aspects. It aims to be the first step towards the future full-scale study of the Quercetanian chemical philosophy.
1. Introduction
2. L’Ad veritatem hermeticae medicinae (1604)
3. La Nature et l’âme du monde
4. Les semences dans le système quercétanien
4-1. Les semences et les trois principes hypostatiques
4-2. Les corps visibles des elements
4-3. L’air et le sel armoniac des philosophes
4-4. La quintessence ou la quartessence
4-5. La médecine balsamique
5. Le Ciel dans la philosophie mosaique hermetisée
6. Conclusions
1. Introduction
2. L’Ad veritatem hermeticae medicinae (1604)
3. La Nature et l’âme du monde
4. Les semences dans le système quercétanien
4-1. Les semences et les trois principes hypostatiques
4-2. Les corps visibles des elements
4-3. L’air et le sel armoniac des philosophes
4-4. La quintessence ou la quartessence
4-5. La médecine balsamique
5. Le Ciel dans la philosophie mosaique hermetisée
6. Conclusions
Research Interests:
1. Introduction
2. Les "Paradoxes" clavéens (1635)
3. Les causes matérielle et efficiente des pierres
4. Les semences des pierres
5. De Boodt et de Clave
6. La définition des pierres
7. La nutrition des pierres
8. Conclusions
2. Les "Paradoxes" clavéens (1635)
3. Les causes matérielle et efficiente des pierres
4. Les semences des pierres
5. De Boodt et de Clave
6. La définition des pierres
7. La nutrition des pierres
8. Conclusions
Research Interests:
1. Introduction, pp. 111-112 2. Le système minéralogique du "De natura fossilium" (1546), pp. 112-113 3. La relation d’Agricola avec la chymie, pp. 113-115 4. Le "De ortu et causis subterraneorum" (1544), pp. 115-116 4-1. La cause... more
1. Introduction, pp. 111-112
2. Le système minéralogique du "De natura fossilium" (1546), pp. 112-113
3. La relation d’Agricola avec la chymie, pp. 113-115
4. Le "De ortu et causis subterraneorum" (1544), pp. 115-116
4-1. La cause matérielle des minéraux et la théorie du suc lapidifiant, pp. 116-123
4-2. La cause efficiente des minéraux et le principe séminal, pp. 123-132
5. L’influence d’Agricola, pp. 132-134
2. Le système minéralogique du "De natura fossilium" (1546), pp. 112-113
3. La relation d’Agricola avec la chymie, pp. 113-115
4. Le "De ortu et causis subterraneorum" (1544), pp. 115-116
4-1. La cause matérielle des minéraux et la théorie du suc lapidifiant, pp. 116-123
4-2. La cause efficiente des minéraux et le principe séminal, pp. 123-132
5. L’influence d’Agricola, pp. 132-134
Research Interests:
1. Introduction, pp. 136-138 2. La chaleur céleste et l’âme du monde, pp. 138-143 3. La physiologie et la psychologie du règne minéral, pp. 143-149 4. L’humeur grasse, pp. 149-151 5. L’analogie végétale, pp. 151-153 6. Les pierres,... more
1. Introduction, pp. 136-138
2. La chaleur céleste et l’âme du monde, pp. 138-143
3. La physiologie et la psychologie du règne minéral, pp. 143-149
4. L’humeur grasse, pp. 149-151
5. L’analogie végétale, pp. 151-153
6. Les pierres, pp. 153-155
7. La dernière évaluation, pp. 155-156
2. La chaleur céleste et l’âme du monde, pp. 138-143
3. La physiologie et la psychologie du règne minéral, pp. 143-149
4. L’humeur grasse, pp. 149-151
5. L’analogie végétale, pp. 151-153
6. Les pierres, pp. 153-155
7. La dernière évaluation, pp. 155-156
Research Interests:
1. Introduction, pp. 159-159 2. Le système minéralogique du "De metallicis" (1596), pp. 159-161 3. Les exhalaisons, pp. 162-163 4. La nature et la formation des "fossilia", pp. 163-166 5. Les métaux et leurs semences, pp. 166-171 6.... more
1. Introduction, pp. 159-159
2. Le système minéralogique du "De metallicis" (1596), pp. 159-161
3. Les exhalaisons, pp. 162-163
4. La nature et la formation des "fossilia", pp. 163-166
5. Les métaux et leurs semences, pp. 166-171
6. La vie minérale ?, pp. 171-175
7. La dernière évaluation, p. 175
2. Le système minéralogique du "De metallicis" (1596), pp. 159-161
3. Les exhalaisons, pp. 162-163
4. La nature et la formation des "fossilia", pp. 163-166
5. Les métaux et leurs semences, pp. 166-171
6. La vie minérale ?, pp. 171-175
7. La dernière évaluation, p. 175
Research Interests:
1. Introduction, pp. 217-219 2. L’Idea medicinae philosophicae (1571), pp. 219-223 3. La semence comme élément interne ou baume, p. 223 3-1. Le baume, pp. 223-228 3-2. Le baume végétal et l’humeur radicale, pp. 228-229 3-3. Le baume... more
1. Introduction, pp. 217-219
2. L’Idea medicinae philosophicae (1571), pp. 219-223
3. La semence comme élément interne ou baume, p. 223
3-1. Le baume, pp. 223-228
3-2. Le baume végétal et l’humeur radicale, pp. 228-229
3-3. Le baume animal et la chaleur innée, pp. 229-231
3-4. Le baume minéral, pp. 231-232
4. Les spiritus, pp. 232-234
5. Les éléments matriciels, pp. 234-237
6. Les semences, pp. 237-244
7. Les principes des corps, pp. 244-249
8. La génération et les semences, p. 249
8-1. La génération comme flux des semences, pp. 249-251
8-2. Les sciences, les dons et les raisons, pp. 251-253
8-3. Les abîmes, pp. 253-257
8-4. Les spiritus mechanici, pp. 257-259
8-5. La génération dans le globe inférieur, pp. 259-261
8-6. La génération des minéraux, pp. 261-263
9. La dernière évaluation, pp. 263-265
2. L’Idea medicinae philosophicae (1571), pp. 219-223
3. La semence comme élément interne ou baume, p. 223
3-1. Le baume, pp. 223-228
3-2. Le baume végétal et l’humeur radicale, pp. 228-229
3-3. Le baume animal et la chaleur innée, pp. 229-231
3-4. Le baume minéral, pp. 231-232
4. Les spiritus, pp. 232-234
5. Les éléments matriciels, pp. 234-237
6. Les semences, pp. 237-244
7. Les principes des corps, pp. 244-249
8. La génération et les semences, p. 249
8-1. La génération comme flux des semences, pp. 249-251
8-2. Les sciences, les dons et les raisons, pp. 251-253
8-3. Les abîmes, pp. 253-257
8-4. Les spiritus mechanici, pp. 257-259
8-5. La génération dans le globe inférieur, pp. 259-261
8-6. La génération des minéraux, pp. 261-263
9. La dernière évaluation, pp. 263-265
1. Introduction, pp. 327-329 2. Le concept de sel générateur et le paracelsisme, pp. 329-331 3. Les semences dans le pan-vitalisme de la Terre, pp. 331-334 4. L’origine des semences, pp. 334-337 5. L’eau et les semences, pp. 338-340... more
1. Introduction, pp. 327-329
2. Le concept de sel générateur et le paracelsisme, pp. 329-331
3. Les semences dans le pan-vitalisme de la Terre, pp. 331-334
4. L’origine des semences, pp. 334-337
5. L’eau et les semences, pp. 338-340
6. Les pierres, p. 340
7. La source du concept palisséen dans la chymie française ?, pp. 340-346
8. La dernière évaluation, p. 346
Appendice : Basile Valentin, pp. 346-349
2. Le concept de sel générateur et le paracelsisme, pp. 329-331
3. Les semences dans le pan-vitalisme de la Terre, pp. 331-334
4. L’origine des semences, pp. 334-337
5. L’eau et les semences, pp. 338-340
6. Les pierres, p. 340
7. La source du concept palisséen dans la chymie française ?, pp. 340-346
8. La dernière évaluation, p. 346
Appendice : Basile Valentin, pp. 346-349
1. Introduction, pp. 295-297 2. La "Préface admonitoire" de la "Basilica chymica" (1609), pp. 297-300 3. Les semences dans le macrocosme, pp. 301-311 4. Les semences dans le microcosme, pp. 311-316 5. Les semences et le Verbe de Dieu... more
1. Introduction, pp. 295-297
2. La "Préface admonitoire" de la "Basilica chymica" (1609), pp. 297-300
3. Les semences dans le macrocosme, pp. 301-311
4. Les semences dans le microcosme, pp. 311-316
5. Les semences et le Verbe de Dieu dans la médecine, pp. 316-320
6. Le "De signaturis internis rerum", pp. 321-322
7. La dernière évaluation, pp. 322-323
2. La "Préface admonitoire" de la "Basilica chymica" (1609), pp. 297-300
3. Les semences dans le macrocosme, pp. 301-311
4. Les semences dans le microcosme, pp. 311-316
5. Les semences et le Verbe de Dieu dans la médecine, pp. 316-320
6. Le "De signaturis internis rerum", pp. 321-322
7. La dernière évaluation, pp. 322-323
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A strange treatise "On the Nature of Things" (De natura rerum) was one of the most popular writings ascribed to Paracelsus (1493/94–1541), first released in seven books (Basel, 1572) and in nine books (Strasburg, 1584). It has a highly... more
A strange treatise "On the Nature of Things" (De natura rerum) was one of the most popular writings ascribed to Paracelsus (1493/94–1541), first released in seven books (Basel, 1572) and in nine books (Strasburg, 1584). It has a highly operative approach to the natural world and expounds the plethora of ideas which fall in an elusive realm between magic and science. The treatise was first presented to readers when the extraordinary flowering of “forgeries,” ascribed to the name of Paracelsus, reached its climax, especially through the multiple editions of Paracelsus’s genuine treatise "Archidoxis." The aim of my article is to place the genesis of "De natura rerum" in this movement of forgery publication.
1. Introduction
2. Paracelsus’s Works Published Before "De natura rerum"
3. "Archidoxis" and the Flowering of Forgeries
4. Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. Paracelsus’s Works Published Before "De natura rerum"
3. "Archidoxis" and the Flowering of Forgeries
4. Conclusion
Research Interests:
In his "Generation of Animals" 2.3, Aristotle suggested that the nature of the heat contained in the seed along with the pneuma corresponds by analogy to the “element of the stars,” which is the celestial substance, aether. A cosmological... more
In his "Generation of Animals" 2.3, Aristotle suggested that the nature of the heat contained in the seed along with the pneuma corresponds by analogy to the “element of the stars,” which is the celestial substance, aether. A cosmological dimension is thus introduced in the middle of an embryological discourse. The aim of the present article is to examine the impact of this passage on the natural philosophy of Bernardino Telesio (1509-1588) against its historical and intellectual context.
1. The Cosmological Passage in Aristotle's Generation of Animals 2.3
2. Telesio
3. Appendices
.
1. The Cosmological Passage in Aristotle's Generation of Animals 2.3
2. Telesio
3. Appendices
.
Research Interests:
Amadeo Murase (Seigakuin University) "German Paracelsian Paul Linck and His Alchemical Eschatology" Elisabeth Moreau (Université Libre de Bruxelles – Radboud University) "Challenging Balsam and Sulfur: Innate Heat in Libavius’s Chymical... more
Amadeo Murase (Seigakuin University) "German Paracelsian Paul Linck and His Alchemical Eschatology"
Elisabeth Moreau (Université Libre de Bruxelles – Radboud University) "Challenging Balsam and Sulfur: Innate Heat in Libavius’s Chymical Philosophy"
Joel A. Klein (Columbia University) "Bringing Chymistry into Shape: Werner Rolfinck and the Reduction of the Chymical Art in Germany"
Elisabeth Moreau (Université Libre de Bruxelles – Radboud University) "Challenging Balsam and Sulfur: Innate Heat in Libavius’s Chymical Philosophy"
Joel A. Klein (Columbia University) "Bringing Chymistry into Shape: Werner Rolfinck and the Reduction of the Chymical Art in Germany"
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The production of forgeries under Paracelsus’s name was an integral part of the diffusion of Paracelsianism. Many of those forgeries were widely read and extremely influential, not only in the fields of medicine and “chymistry”... more
The production of forgeries under Paracelsus’s name was an integral part of the diffusion of Paracelsianism. Many of those forgeries were widely read and extremely influential, not only in the fields of medicine and “chymistry” (alchemy/chemistry), but also in cosmology, anthropology, theology and magic. For example, the famous "Philosophia ad Athenienses" included the dangerous idea on the uncreated “prime matter” of the world, while the "De natura rerum" described how to create a homunculus. Those were clearly alien to Paracelsus’s own philosophy but were taken at face value by both Paracelsians and their opponents. A number of other apocryphal works are no less interesting. All of them have yet to be studied in their own right. The present conference, which opens a four-years project, aims to put together the knowledge of specialists with diverse backgrounds. Studying the content, sources, topics, potential authorship and dating of pseudo-Paracelsian treatises, it will reveal their distinctive and common features, their mutual connections, their kinship in style and content with the genuine works of Paracelsus.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
During the Renaissance, the traditional authorities of university teachings and their doctrines were intensely questioned on the basis of the ideas and views introduced from the “newly recovered” sources: Plato, Hippocrates, Galen,... more
During the Renaissance, the traditional authorities of university teachings and their doctrines were intensely questioned on the basis of the ideas and views introduced from the “newly recovered” sources: Plato, Hippocrates, Galen, Aristotle’s Greek commentators, the atomists, the Stoics, etc. The intellectual fecundity of this period was propelled by the intense activity of the humanists who were engaged in collecting, editing, translating and publishing the ancient literary heritage, which had been scarcely read or entirely unknown to the medieval world. They were active not only in deciphering and interpreting these newly recovered texts but also in producing original writings inspired by the ideas and themes they found in the ancient sources.
In the field of natural philosophy, humanist culture also led to important innovations, sparking lively debates and a flood of writings. Natural philosophy became a huge “laboratory,” where alternative approaches could be launched and tested. One of its most striking features was the emergence of a wide range of interpretations of life and their application to broad natural phenomena in medicine, chymistry and even cosmology. This proliferation of vitalistic, biologically oriented or organicistic ideas was the richest outcome of Renaissance intellectual culture.
The present project aims to examine this fertile and complex ground through multidisciplinary approaches. It has three main goals: 1) to reevaluate the impact of such major authors as Ficino, Pico, Paracelsus, Fernel, Cardano and Scaliger on natural philosophy, science and medicine; 2) to shed fresh light on lesser-known actors like Riolan the elder, Paparella or Burggrav; and 3) to reconsider the continuity and transformation of Renaissance interpretations of life in canonical figures of the Scientific Revolution such as Bacon, Kepler and Galileo.
In the field of natural philosophy, humanist culture also led to important innovations, sparking lively debates and a flood of writings. Natural philosophy became a huge “laboratory,” where alternative approaches could be launched and tested. One of its most striking features was the emergence of a wide range of interpretations of life and their application to broad natural phenomena in medicine, chymistry and even cosmology. This proliferation of vitalistic, biologically oriented or organicistic ideas was the richest outcome of Renaissance intellectual culture.
The present project aims to examine this fertile and complex ground through multidisciplinary approaches. It has three main goals: 1) to reevaluate the impact of such major authors as Ficino, Pico, Paracelsus, Fernel, Cardano and Scaliger on natural philosophy, science and medicine; 2) to shed fresh light on lesser-known actors like Riolan the elder, Paparella or Burggrav; and 3) to reconsider the continuity and transformation of Renaissance interpretations of life in canonical figures of the Scientific Revolution such as Bacon, Kepler and Galileo.
Research Interests:
Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century (1549–1650) is a collaborative project between Renaissance Studies scholars and Japanese History scholars. It aims to explore the intellectual history of Renaissance Europe and its impact... more
Renaissance Culture and Japan’s Christian Century (1549–1650) is a collaborative project between Renaissance Studies scholars and Japanese History scholars. It aims to explore the intellectual history of Renaissance Europe and its impact on early modern Japan. Its main targets are the concepts of nature and the human being, which provided the foundation of modern Western civilization. The project addresses: 1) the transformation of the medieval tradition; 2) the formation of a new type of knowledge and learning; and 3) their influence on Japan. Through this project, we seek to advance the discipline of intellectual history in Japan and help young researchers gain international exposure.
Research Interests:
This project aims to digitize Renaissance and early modern medical texts, which were important in their own time but are hardly accessible today. These texts nourished the ideas and debates of such emblematic figures of the Scientific... more
This project aims to digitize Renaissance and early modern medical texts, which were important in their own time but are hardly accessible today. These texts nourished the ideas and debates of such emblematic figures of the Scientific Revolution as Kepler, Gilbert, Gassendi, Descartes, Leibniz, Boyle, Kircher, etc.
Research Interests:
The first volume consists of 8 articles, 2 translations and 3 reviews. Contents 1. Youhei Kikuchihara, “Poetica signorum: Paracelsus’ Doctrine of Signature” 2. Hiro Hirai, “Quintessence and 'spiritus mundi' in the Renaissance:... more
The first volume consists of 8 articles, 2 translations and 3 reviews.
Contents
1. Youhei Kikuchihara, “Poetica signorum: Paracelsus’ Doctrine of Signature”
2. Hiro Hirai, “Quintessence and 'spiritus mundi' in the Renaissance: Joseph Du Chesne’s Matter Theory”
3. Ryuji Hiraoka, “Copernicus as a Painter: His Concept of 'symmetria mundi' between Renaissance Art Theory and Cosmology”
4. Koji Kuwakino, “Renaissance Garden as an Encyclopedic Space”
5. Sayaka Sakaguchi, “The Governmental Ideas of Rudolf II in Allegory on the Turkish Wars Series: A Study of The Conquest of Györ (Raab)”
6. Hirofumi Ogawa, “The Christian Kabbalah of John Dee and Heinrich Khunrath in the Habsburg Court”
7. Shin Higashi, “The Continuity and Diversity of the Traditional Cosmos: Natural Philosophy and Mathematics in the Society of Jesus”
8. Toshihiro Yamada, “A Biographical Sketch of Nicolaus Steno: New Philosophy, Baroque Courts and Crises of Religion”
9. Marsilio Ficino "De lumine"
Contents
1. Youhei Kikuchihara, “Poetica signorum: Paracelsus’ Doctrine of Signature”
2. Hiro Hirai, “Quintessence and 'spiritus mundi' in the Renaissance: Joseph Du Chesne’s Matter Theory”
3. Ryuji Hiraoka, “Copernicus as a Painter: His Concept of 'symmetria mundi' between Renaissance Art Theory and Cosmology”
4. Koji Kuwakino, “Renaissance Garden as an Encyclopedic Space”
5. Sayaka Sakaguchi, “The Governmental Ideas of Rudolf II in Allegory on the Turkish Wars Series: A Study of The Conquest of Györ (Raab)”
6. Hirofumi Ogawa, “The Christian Kabbalah of John Dee and Heinrich Khunrath in the Habsburg Court”
7. Shin Higashi, “The Continuity and Diversity of the Traditional Cosmos: Natural Philosophy and Mathematics in the Society of Jesus”
8. Toshihiro Yamada, “A Biographical Sketch of Nicolaus Steno: New Philosophy, Baroque Courts and Crises of Religion”
9. Marsilio Ficino "De lumine"
Galen (129–ca. 216) left a significant number of writings, over 100 treatises in a modern edition, which represent some 12 percent of ancient Greek literature. Although Galenism dominated the tradition of Western medicine, knowledge of... more
Galen (129–ca. 216) left a significant number of writings, over 100 treatises in a modern edition, which represent some 12 percent of ancient Greek literature. Although Galenism dominated the tradition of Western medicine, knowledge of his writings was relatively limited during the Middle Ages. The substantial body of these writings was made available in Europe thanks to the Aldine Greek edition (Venice, 1525), followed by a flood of Latin translations. In my paper, I will examine the impact of some key texts of Galen at the threshold of early modern science and philosophy. To this end I will focus on the particular use of Galen’s writings and teachings by Jean Fernel (1497–1558) of Paris, one of the most influential physicians of the Renaissance, and other physician-philosophers who were his contemporaries and followers in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
1. Introduction
2. Galen's Texts before 1525
3. Galen's Texts in Fernel and Other Physician-Philosophers
3-1. Embryology: De foetuum formatione
3-2. Anatomy: De usu partium
3-3. Physiology and Psychology: De placitis Hippocrates et Platonis
3-4. Pathology and Pharmacology: De simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus
4. A Brief Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. Galen's Texts before 1525
3. Galen's Texts in Fernel and Other Physician-Philosophers
3-1. Embryology: De foetuum formatione
3-2. Anatomy: De usu partium
3-3. Physiology and Psychology: De placitis Hippocrates et Platonis
3-4. Pathology and Pharmacology: De simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus
4. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
Galen (129–ca. 216) left a significant number of writings, over 100 treatises in a modern edition, which represent some 12 percent of ancient Greek literature. Although Galenism dominated the tradition of Western medicine, knowledge of... more
Galen (129–ca. 216) left a significant number of writings, over 100 treatises in a modern edition, which represent some 12 percent of ancient Greek literature. Although Galenism dominated the tradition of Western medicine, knowledge of his writings was relatively limited during the Middle Ages. The substantial body of these writings was made available in Europe thanks to the Aldine Greek edition (Venice, 1525), followed by a flood of Latin translations. In my paper, I will examine the impact of some key texts of Galen at the threshold of early modern science and philosophy. To this end I will focus on the particular use of Galen’s writings and teachings by Jean Fernel (1497–1558) of Paris, one of the most influential physicians of the Renaissance, and other physician-philosophers who were his contemporaries and followers in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
1. Introduction
2. Galen's Texts before 1525
3. Galen's Texts in Fernel and Other Physician-Philosophers
3-1. Embryology: De foetuum formatione
3-2. Anatomy: De usu partium
3-3. Physiology and Psychology: De placitis Hippocrates et Platonis
3-4. Pathology and Pharmacology: De simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus
4. A Brief Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. Galen's Texts before 1525
3. Galen's Texts in Fernel and Other Physician-Philosophers
3-1. Embryology: De foetuum formatione
3-2. Anatomy: De usu partium
3-3. Physiology and Psychology: De placitis Hippocrates et Platonis
3-4. Pathology and Pharmacology: De simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus
4. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
Early modern science coincided with the gradual professionalization of its actors. Many of their counterparts in the precedent period, namely the sixteenth century, were physicians or medically educated philosophers. Despite a variety of... more
Early modern science coincided with the gradual professionalization of its actors. Many of their counterparts in the precedent period, namely the sixteenth century, were physicians or medically educated philosophers. Despite a variety of motivations and points of departure, those “physician-philosophers” often addressed life phenomena. Their reflections on biological or medical questions contributed, albeit in different ways, to the reorientation of philosophy, which was to become crucial in the shaping of early modern science. This move will remain largely inexplicable unless its “medical context” is taken into account.
1. Some Historiographial Backgrounds
2. General Concept and Major Features
3. Some Specific Issues
1. Some Historiographial Backgrounds
2. General Concept and Major Features
3. Some Specific Issues
Paper to be read at the conference "Aristotelianism and Natural Sciences at Protestant Universities" (Berlin, 21-23 June 2017).
This paper aims to contextualize the genesis of "De natura rerum," one of the most successful writings attributes to Paracelsus, in the publishing history of the works appeared in his name during 1550-1584. It reveals how the missing... more
This paper aims to contextualize the genesis of "De natura rerum," one of the most successful writings attributes to Paracelsus, in the publishing history of the works appeared in his name during 1550-1584. It reveals how the missing parts of the treatise, entitled "Archidoxa," stimulated the activity of forgers in the period prior to the publication of the collection "Metamorphoses," whose principal component was to become "De natura rerum."
1. Introduction
2. The Paraclesian "De natura rerum" in Publishing History
3. The "Archidoxa" and the Flowering of Forgeries (1569-1572)
4. A Brief Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. The Paraclesian "De natura rerum" in Publishing History
3. The "Archidoxa" and the Flowering of Forgeries (1569-1572)
4. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
Paracelsus (1493/94-c. 1541) developed the idea of "arcanum," the invisible quintessential core of natural things that, once liberated from their visible material cover or vestments, exerts marvelous medicinal powers. Many Paracelsians... more
Paracelsus (1493/94-c. 1541) developed the idea of "arcanum," the invisible quintessential core of natural things that, once liberated from their visible material cover or vestments, exerts marvelous medicinal powers. Many Paracelsians accepted the idea which culminated in the theory of “universal medicine” (medicina universalis) toward the end of the Renaissance. I will address the attempts of some leading figures in this move so as to show how the universal medicine acquired a religious or theological bearing in terms of God and Creation. To this end, I will first sketches the initiative of French physician, Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609), then examine the case of his German fellow, Oswald Croll (c. 1560-1608).
1. Introduction
2. Du Chesne and His Quest for Universal Medicine
3. Croll's "Basillica chymica" in Context
4. A Brief Conclusion
1. Introduction
2. Du Chesne and His Quest for Universal Medicine
3. Croll's "Basillica chymica" in Context
4. A Brief Conclusion
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
1. Introduction
2. Telesio and Averroes
3. Telesio, "De natura" (Rome. 1565)
4. Averroes's "Long Commentary" on Aristotle's "Metaphysics", 12.
2. Telesio and Averroes
3. Telesio, "De natura" (Rome. 1565)
4. Averroes's "Long Commentary" on Aristotle's "Metaphysics", 12.
Research Interests:
This paper aims to spotlight some important, but neglected, aspects of early modern interactions between matter theories and the life sciences. It will trace the ways in which atomistic or corpuscular modes of reasoning were adopted to... more
This paper aims to spotlight some important, but neglected, aspects of early modern interactions between matter theories and the life sciences. It will trace the ways in which atomistic or corpuscular modes of reasoning were adopted to explain the origin of life. To that end this paper will examine three seventeenth-century natural philosophers: Daniel Sennert (1572–1637), Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655) and Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680). Through the analysis of their discussions on the minute constitutive parts of living beings (plants, animals and human beings) as living corpuscles, it will inquire into the exchange of ideas among those who advocated “non-mechanist” or “vitalistic” types of corpuscular philosophy. This paper’s ultimate goal is to shed light on the role of bio-medical ideas in seventeenth-century natural philosophy.
See now:
https://www.academia.edu/20292511/_Mysteries_of_Living_Corpuscles_Atomism_and_the_Origin_of_Life_in_Sennert_Gassendi_and_Kircher_in_Early_Modern_Medicine_and_Natural_Philosophy_ed._Peter_Distelzweig_et_al._Dordrecht_Springer_2016_255-269
See now:
https://www.academia.edu/20292511/_Mysteries_of_Living_Corpuscles_Atomism_and_the_Origin_of_Life_in_Sennert_Gassendi_and_Kircher_in_Early_Modern_Medicine_and_Natural_Philosophy_ed._Peter_Distelzweig_et_al._Dordrecht_Springer_2016_255-269
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In his masterpiece, *The Idea of Philosophical Medicine* (1571), the Danish physician Petrus Severinus (1540/42–1602) formulated a distinctive theory of disease, the theory of "transplantatio" (transplantation). That theory sought to... more
In his masterpiece, *The Idea of Philosophical Medicine* (1571), the Danish physician Petrus Severinus (1540/42–1602) formulated a distinctive theory of disease, the theory of "transplantatio" (transplantation). That theory sought to explain the emergence of hitherto unknown diseases by suggesting that pathogens underwent a sort of mutation in their species. Although modern scholars have noticed the theory’s significance, its historical and intellectual roots have yet to be studied. Severinus elaborated his theory upon ideas advanced by Paracelsus (1493/94–1541) in his writings related to syphilis. Paracelsus was active during the decades after this novel and calamitous disease first broke out. Physicians carried on intense debates on its nature, origin, and cure, and Paracelsus emerged as one of the most important protagonists in those debates. Among his writings devoted to syphilis, our paper will focus on the treatise *On the Origin and Cause of the French Disease* (1529), in which his ideas on transplantation are most fully articulated. The primary basis for his notion of transplantation was his particular interpretation of how the faculty of imagination operated and how the heavens influenced earthly events. Paracelsus’s discussion was also conditioned by his views on sexuality, together with his assessments of the sexual behavior of his contemporaries. Severinus’s account of transplantation should be understood in the context of its origins in Paracelsus.
Research Interests:
This paper addresses the small treatise, entitled "Eisagoge" (1607), one of the earliest works by the Flemish chymist, Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont (1579-1644), and reveals his real source through which he familiarized himself with a... more
This paper addresses the small treatise, entitled "Eisagoge" (1607), one of the earliest works by the Flemish chymist, Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont (1579-1644), and reveals his real source through which he familiarized himself with a particular branch of Paracelsian chymical philosophy: the masterpiece of the Danish Paracelsian, Petrus Severinus’s "Idea medicinae philosophicae" (Basel, 1571).
Research Interests:
Georg Agricola’s major works, "De natura fossilium" (1546) and "De re metallica" (1556), reflected a departure from the objective of refuting the doctrines of chymists and astrologers. He developed his lengthy criticism in a treatise,... more
Georg Agricola’s major works, "De natura fossilium" (1546) and "De re metallica" (1556), reflected a departure from the objective of refuting the doctrines of chymists and astrologers. He developed his lengthy criticism in a treatise, entitled "De ortu et causis subterraneorum," written in 1544 and published with "De natura fossilium." In this treatise, Agricola focused on the opinions of Arabic authors such as Avicenna and Ibn Juljul through their Latin spokesman, Albert the Great. He also addressed the notion of metallic seeds by campaigning against the application of biological ideas to the mineral kingdom. This paper examines the humanist backgrounds of his endeavor.
1. Introduction
2. Minerals in "De natura fossilium"
3. Agricola and Chymistry
4. Humanism, Corals and the Myth of Gorgon
5. The Criticism of Albert and the Dream of Hermes
1. Introduction
2. Minerals in "De natura fossilium"
3. Agricola and Chymistry
4. Humanism, Corals and the Myth of Gorgon
5. The Criticism of Albert and the Dream of Hermes
Research Interests:
""On My Life" is the autobiography of the famous Milanese physician, Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576/77). It was posthumously published in Paris in 1643 by the editorship of the French scholar Gabriel Naudé (1600–1653). This piece of work,... more
""On My Life" is the autobiography of the famous Milanese physician, Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576/77). It was posthumously published in Paris in 1643 by the editorship of the French scholar Gabriel Naudé (1600–1653). This piece of work, extremely complex and difficult to understand for modern readers, is richly illustrated by elements based on Cardano’s personal dream interpretations, and its structure borrows models from Greek astrology and medicine. It is also colored by his lifelong experience of phenomena related to his “guardian spirit,” which finally appeared in the guise of his father, Fazio. This paper tries to decipher these elements by using his other writings, namely the Commentary on Ptolemy’s "Tetrabiblos" (1554), "On My Own Books" (1557 and 1562), "On Synesian Dreams" (1562) and "Dialogue between Girolamo and his Father Fazio" (written ca. 1574).
1. Introduction
2. Astrology in Cardano's *On My Life*
3. Dream Interpretation
4. Cardano's Conversation with His Guardian Spirit"
1. Introduction
2. Astrology in Cardano's *On My Life*
3. Dream Interpretation
4. Cardano's Conversation with His Guardian Spirit"
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the late Renaissance, especially during the second half of the sixteenth century and the first decades of the seventeenth century, the “newly recovered” writings of prominent ancient authors such as Galen, Hippocrates and Aristotle’s... more
In the late Renaissance, especially during the second half of the sixteenth century and the first decades of the seventeenth century, the “newly recovered” writings of prominent ancient authors such as Galen, Hippocrates and Aristotle’s Greek commentators exerted a considerable impact on medicine and natural philosophy. Propelled by this intellectual stimulus, leading minds in these fields started to cast doubt on the fundamental body of doctrines offered in traditional university teachings. These factors fueled physicians’ and natural philosophers’ debates on living beings and their nature, structure and functions, and even forced them to avail themselves of divergent new ideas. As this period also witnessed the rise of the Paracelsian movement, which was closely related to alchemy, and since the proponents of this current were often themselves physicians, interactions of medicine, natural philosophy and alchemy contributed to the emergence of a number of remarkable interpretations of life phenomena. The present paper aims to provide a synthesis of my work on such interactions by focusing on the notion of the “principle of life” (principium vitae).
Now partially incorporated in the following article:
https://www.academia.edu/6526472/_Bodies_and_Their_Internal_Powers_Natural_Philosophy_Medicine_and_Alchemy_in_The_Routledge_Companion_to_Sixteenth_Century_Philosophy_ed._Henrik_Lagerlund_et_al._London_Routledge_2017_394-410
Now partially incorporated in the following article:
https://www.academia.edu/6526472/_Bodies_and_Their_Internal_Powers_Natural_Philosophy_Medicine_and_Alchemy_in_The_Routledge_Companion_to_Sixteenth_Century_Philosophy_ed._Henrik_Lagerlund_et_al._London_Routledge_2017_394-410
Research Interests:
"The intellectual fecundity of the Renaissance was propelled by the intense activity of the humanists who were engaged in collecting, editing, translating and publishing the ancient literary heritage, mostly in Greek and Latin, which had... more
"The intellectual fecundity of the Renaissance was propelled by the intense activity of the humanists who were engaged in collecting, editing, translating and publishing the ancient literary heritage, mostly in Greek and Latin, which had hitherto been scarcely read or entirely unknown to the medieval world. The humanists were active not only in deciphering and interpreting these “newly recovered” texts but also in producing original writings inspired by the ideas and themes they found in the ancient sources.
Dealing with the impact of Renaissance humanism on early modern medicine, historians have tended to emphasize the fields of anatomy and natural history for the reception and recovery of ancient texts and knowledge conveyed by them. But natural philosophy also received considerable stimulus by the efforts of medically oriented humanists and humanistically trained physicians. Many of Galen’s philosophical discussions were introduced in the West for the first time at the beginning of the sixteenth century and were the subject of lively debates among medical humanists in Italy and other parts of Europe.
In these debates, Galen’s theory of the soul became one of the most important issues because his newly recovered texts, such as De formatione foetuum, contained crucial elements that were not reconcilable with the medieval understanding of Galen’s theory. These ideas then had to be verified according to a conception of the soul based on Aristotle’s teachings and Christian dogma.
The present paper will examine the case of a debate between Italian humanist Nicolò Leoniceno (1428–1524) and humanistically trained French physician Jean Fernel (1497–1558) on Galen’s theory of the soul. The problem of the human soul’s immortality played a significant role in the development of their divergent interpretations."
Dealing with the impact of Renaissance humanism on early modern medicine, historians have tended to emphasize the fields of anatomy and natural history for the reception and recovery of ancient texts and knowledge conveyed by them. But natural philosophy also received considerable stimulus by the efforts of medically oriented humanists and humanistically trained physicians. Many of Galen’s philosophical discussions were introduced in the West for the first time at the beginning of the sixteenth century and were the subject of lively debates among medical humanists in Italy and other parts of Europe.
In these debates, Galen’s theory of the soul became one of the most important issues because his newly recovered texts, such as De formatione foetuum, contained crucial elements that were not reconcilable with the medieval understanding of Galen’s theory. These ideas then had to be verified according to a conception of the soul based on Aristotle’s teachings and Christian dogma.
The present paper will examine the case of a debate between Italian humanist Nicolò Leoniceno (1428–1524) and humanistically trained French physician Jean Fernel (1497–1558) on Galen’s theory of the soul. The problem of the human soul’s immortality played a significant role in the development of their divergent interpretations."
Research Interests:
The notion of "spiritus" was fundamental in the medical teachings of medieval universities. The "spiritus" was believed to exist in the body of living beings as an invisible, extremely tenuous, vapor-like substance, which is diffused by... more
The notion of "spiritus" was fundamental in the medical teachings of medieval universities. The "spiritus" was believed to exist in the body of living beings as an invisible, extremely tenuous, vapor-like substance, which is diffused by the blood in the whole body. The spirit was said to be the first instrument of the soul, being responsible for physiological functions and serving the medium between the soul and the body. This traditional notion underwent a profound transformation during the Renaissance. As its history needs a whole book, today I would like to address only one of its aspects.
Research Interests:
The traditional relationship between medicine and astrology was transformed during the Renaissance. A major factor of this change was the criticism formulated by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494). In his posthumous work... more
The traditional relationship between medicine and astrology was transformed during the Renaissance. A major factor of this change was the criticism formulated by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494). In his posthumous work "Disputations against Judicial Astrology" (Bologna, 1496), he rejected the divinatory aspects of astrology while accepting its physical dimensions, which can be qualified as “natural astrology.” According to him, celestial bodies produce their effects only by physical means such as motion, light and heat. The field of embryology received a direct impact from Pico’s new theory. This paper will take up the case of a lesser-known philosophical embryology published in Italy during the 1560s by Sebastiano Paparella who taught theoretical medicine at Pisa and Perugia. Under the strong influence of Pico, he tried to restore cosmic bonds, which could bridge the gap between heaven and seeds in animal and human generation.
Research Interests:
In the Aristotelian tradition which dominated the learned world during the Renaissance, the rational soul was considered to govern higher mental activities, and was often identified with the “intellect” (intellectus) or “mind” (mens).... more
In the Aristotelian tradition which dominated the learned world during the Renaissance, the rational soul was considered to govern higher mental activities, and was often identified with the “intellect” (intellectus) or “mind” (mens). According to Aristotle, the intellect “comes from the outside”. However, his doctrine was not self-evident for Renaissance medical writers who intensely discussed the emergence of life and the origin of souls in animal and human generation. The present paper will consider this problem through the works of three leading figures of diverse confessional origins: Jean Fernel (1497–1558) of Paris, Jacob Schegk (1511–1587) of Tübingen and Daniel Sennert (1572–1637) of Wittenberg.
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https://www.academia.edu/6859265/_Human_and_Animal_Generation_in_Renaissance_Medical_Debates_in_Human_and_Animal_Cognition_in_Early_Modern_Philosophy_and_Medicine_ed._Roberto_Lo_Presti_et_al._Pittsburgh_Pittsburgh_University_Press_2017_89-98
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https://www.academia.edu/6859265/_Human_and_Animal_Generation_in_Renaissance_Medical_Debates_in_Human_and_Animal_Cognition_in_Early_Modern_Philosophy_and_Medicine_ed._Roberto_Lo_Presti_et_al._Pittsburgh_Pittsburgh_University_Press_2017_89-98
The traditional relationship between medicine and astrology was transformed during the Renaissance. A major factor of this change was the criticism formulated by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494). In his posthumous work... more
The traditional relationship between medicine and astrology was transformed during the Renaissance. A major factor of this change was the criticism formulated by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494). In his posthumous work "Disputations against Judicial Astrology" (Bologna, 1496), he rejected the divinatory aspects of astrology while accepting its physical dimensions, which can be qualified as “natural astrology.” According to him, celestial bodies produce their effects only by physical means such as motion, light and heat. The field of embryology received a direct impact from Pico’s new theory. The present paper will take up the case of a lesser-known medico-philosophical treatise published in Italy during the 1560s. Under the strong influence of Pico, its author tried to restore cosmic bonds, which could bridge the gap between heaven and seeds in animal and human generation.
. A pregnant woman encounters a wolf in the woods. She is so scared that her strong emotion of fear imprints some morphological traces of the wolf on the fetus in her womb. Another pregnant woman craves strawberries or cherries so... more
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A pregnant woman encounters a wolf in the woods. She is so scared that her strong emotion of fear imprints some morphological traces of the wolf on the fetus in her womb. Another pregnant woman craves strawberries or cherries so intensely that she leaves certain impressions of these fruits on the fetus.
The belief that the power of maternal emotions such as desire or fear can imprint some kind of marks, signs or signatures on the fetus was widely diffused in the early modern period. This belief was closely connected to the classical philosophical notion of "phantasia" or imagination. Recent studies by several scholars have shed new light on the historical and intellectual background of this belief although its complete history has yet to be written. This paper aims to consider the intervention of Renaissance learned medicine in the theorization of this belief through the case of Thomas Feyens or Fienus (1567–1631) of Antwerp.
Fienus was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain from the end of the sixteenth century until his death and published a series of embryological works. Among these, we find a treatise entitled "On the Forces of Imagination" ("De viribus imaginationis tractatus") (Louvain, 1608). This monograph, devoted to the notion of imagination in the embryological framework, consists of one book divided into 24 questions (56 conclusions or theses are distributed among these 24 questions). Although Fienus’ main authorities are Aristotle, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, he also uses a wide range of ancient, medieval and early modern writers, including Galen, Avicenna, Marsilio Ficino and Pietro Pomponazzi.
As a preliminary study, this paper respects the sequence of Fienus’ discussion around three main themes: 1) the relationship between soul and body; 2) the notion of imagination or "phantasia"; and 3) the working of the mother’s imagination in fetal formation.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Soul and the Body
3. Imagination and "Phantasia"
4. Maternal Imagination in Embryology
4-1. Imagination and Signatures
4-2. Conformative Power
4-3. The Relation between Imagination and Conformative Power
5. Conclusion
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https://www.academia.edu/6859246/_Imagination_Maternal_Desire_and_Embryology_in_Thomas_Fienus_in_Professors_Physicians_and_Practioners_in_the_History_of_Medicine_Essays_in_Honor_of_Nancy_Siraisi_Dordrecht_Springer_2017_211-225
A pregnant woman encounters a wolf in the woods. She is so scared that her strong emotion of fear imprints some morphological traces of the wolf on the fetus in her womb. Another pregnant woman craves strawberries or cherries so intensely that she leaves certain impressions of these fruits on the fetus.
The belief that the power of maternal emotions such as desire or fear can imprint some kind of marks, signs or signatures on the fetus was widely diffused in the early modern period. This belief was closely connected to the classical philosophical notion of "phantasia" or imagination. Recent studies by several scholars have shed new light on the historical and intellectual background of this belief although its complete history has yet to be written. This paper aims to consider the intervention of Renaissance learned medicine in the theorization of this belief through the case of Thomas Feyens or Fienus (1567–1631) of Antwerp.
Fienus was a professor of medicine at the University of Louvain from the end of the sixteenth century until his death and published a series of embryological works. Among these, we find a treatise entitled "On the Forces of Imagination" ("De viribus imaginationis tractatus") (Louvain, 1608). This monograph, devoted to the notion of imagination in the embryological framework, consists of one book divided into 24 questions (56 conclusions or theses are distributed among these 24 questions). Although Fienus’ main authorities are Aristotle, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, he also uses a wide range of ancient, medieval and early modern writers, including Galen, Avicenna, Marsilio Ficino and Pietro Pomponazzi.
As a preliminary study, this paper respects the sequence of Fienus’ discussion around three main themes: 1) the relationship between soul and body; 2) the notion of imagination or "phantasia"; and 3) the working of the mother’s imagination in fetal formation.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Soul and the Body
3. Imagination and "Phantasia"
4. Maternal Imagination in Embryology
4-1. Imagination and Signatures
4-2. Conformative Power
4-3. The Relation between Imagination and Conformative Power
5. Conclusion
See now:
https://www.academia.edu/6859246/_Imagination_Maternal_Desire_and_Embryology_in_Thomas_Fienus_in_Professors_Physicians_and_Practioners_in_the_History_of_Medicine_Essays_in_Honor_of_Nancy_Siraisi_Dordrecht_Springer_2017_211-225
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a bitter conflict emerged between the traditional Galenists of the Paris faculty of medicine and the Protestant physicians at the court of King Henry IV. One of these royal physicians, Joseph... more
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a bitter conflict emerged between the traditional Galenists of the Paris faculty of medicine and the Protestant physicians at the court of King Henry IV. One of these royal physicians, Joseph Du Chesne (1546-1609), also known under his Latinized name Quercetanus, played the role of advocate for the community of chymical philosophers. Although the publication of his "Treatise on the Matter of the Ancient Philosophers’ True Medicine" (De priscorum philosophorum verae medicinae materia) (1603) is known as the catalyst that triggered the conflict, the treatise itself has not come under the scrutiny of historians. By focusing on the interaction of alchemy and medicine expounded in this work, the present paper examines Du Chesne’s strategy (and its secret) for making chymical medicine acceptable to the traditional Galenists.
1. Introduction
2. Alchemy and Medicine in De priscorum materia
3. The Salt of Nature, Saltpeter and the Hypostatical Principles
4. The Animate Gold and the Potable Gold
5. The Radical Balsam, Human Natura and Universal medicine
If you want to read this paper, please contact me at hhirai2@gmail.com
1. Introduction
2. Alchemy and Medicine in De priscorum materia
3. The Salt of Nature, Saltpeter and the Hypostatical Principles
4. The Animate Gold and the Potable Gold
5. The Radical Balsam, Human Natura and Universal medicine
If you want to read this paper, please contact me at hhirai2@gmail.com
The notion of formative power or plastic force played a significant role in Western intellectual history as an explanation for a wide range of natural phenomena. Its origin can be traced back to a medical idea formulated by the Greek... more
The notion of formative power or plastic force played a significant role in Western intellectual history as an explanation for a wide range of natural phenomena. Its origin can be traced back to a medical idea formulated by the Greek physician, Galen (129-ca. 216). In its Latin form, the virtus formativa was frequently used in embryological discussions among medieval intellectuals such as Albertus Magnus (ca. 1200-1280). In the early modern period, this notion became a metaphysical principle of the world structure under the name of “plastic nature,” as seen in the works of the Cambridge Platonists, Henry More (1614-1687) and Ralph Cudworth (1617-88). Leibniz (1646-1716) also paid considerable attention to this theory. My forthcoming book, "Medical Humanism and Natural Philosophy," is devoted to the study of the history of the notion of formative power, especially in its Renaissance phase, where Averroes was a key figure. However, the analysis of the genesis of his idea was out of the scope of the book. Indeed, Averroes referred to this power in many of his writings, including medical treatises such as the "Colliget" as well as Aristotelian commentaries and other philosophical works. The present paper is a preliminary study in which I propose to analyze Averroes’ idea and some of its sources. Here I will focus on three texts: 1) the middle commentary on Aristotle’s On Animals 16.3; 2) the Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, 7.31; and 3) the same commentary, 12.18. These texts were influential and often used to explain the notion of formative power in the Latin tradition.
1. Introduction
2. Galen
3. Avicenna and Avempace
4. The Commentary on Generation of Animals, 2.3.
5. The Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, 7.31
6. The Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, 12.18
If you want to read this paper, please contact me at hhirai2@gmail.com
1. Introduction
2. Galen
3. Avicenna and Avempace
4. The Commentary on Generation of Animals, 2.3.
5. The Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, 7.31
6. The Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics, 12.18
If you want to read this paper, please contact me at hhirai2@gmail.com
Jacques Gaffarel’s (1601-1681) main work, "Curiositez Inouyes" (Paris, 1629), was a veritable encyclopedia for talismans, horoscopes and astrology popular among the “Orientals.” This society, mainly consisted of Hebrews, was conceived in... more
Jacques Gaffarel’s (1601-1681) main work, "Curiositez Inouyes" (Paris, 1629), was a veritable encyclopedia for talismans, horoscopes and astrology popular among the “Orientals.” This society, mainly consisted of Hebrews, was conceived in Gaffarel according to the tradition of Renaissance Christian cabbalism. This vision was also reinforced by the belief in the “ancient theology” (prisca theologia), reactivated at the end of the fifteenth century in the circle of Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) and developed in the current of Renaissance Platonism. Reprinted several times and translated into English (1650) and Latin (1676), Gaffarel’s Curiositez Inouyes achieved the considerable success which lasted until the early eighteenth century, the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. Gaffarel was not viewed as a charlatan but as a learned orientalist, much respected by leading minds of the time, including the French atomist Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655). Although his fame was widespread and his work extremely popular, Gaffarel has been unduly neglected by historians. The present paper focuses on the medical dimension of his work and its natural philosophical foundations in relation to his perception of talismans, horoscopes and astrology. Gaffarel’s work is a good case for investigating how a mind deeply anchored in the heritage of Renaissance magical philosophy discussed those themes on the threshold of seventeenth-century “new philosophy” and for evaluating the reactions made by the protagonists of early modern science.
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https://www.academia.edu/6526529/_Images_Talismans_and_Medicine_in_Gaffarel_in_Jacques_Gaffarel_between_Magic_and_Science_Rome_Serra_2014_73-84
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https://www.academia.edu/6526529/_Images_Talismans_and_Medicine_in_Gaffarel_in_Jacques_Gaffarel_between_Magic_and_Science_Rome_Serra_2014_73-84
The famous French physician Jean Fernel’s (1497-1558) disciple, Antoine Mizauld (ca. 1512-1578), was a figure very little exploited by scholars. In his medico-philosophical dialogue between Asclepius and Urania, "Aesculapii et Uraniae... more
The famous French physician Jean Fernel’s (1497-1558) disciple, Antoine Mizauld (ca. 1512-1578), was a figure very little exploited by scholars. In his medico-philosophical dialogue between Asclepius and Urania, "Aesculapii et Uraniae medicum et astronomicum ex colloquio conjugium harmoniam microcosmi cum macrocosmo" (Lyon, 1550), he developed a theoretical basis for his astrological medicine. Mizauld published its second revised edition as "Harmonia coelestium corporum et humanorum" (Paris, 1555), which was then translated as "Harmonie des corps célestes et humains" (Lyon, 1580), ensuring a wider diffusion of his ideas. The present paper aims to examine its contents especially around the notion of the life-giving cosmic heat.
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https://www.academia.edu/6384813/_The_New_Astral_Medicine_in_A_Companion_to_Astrology_in_the_Renaissance_ed._Brendan_Dooley_Leiden_Brill_2014_267-286
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https://www.academia.edu/6384813/_The_New_Astral_Medicine_in_A_Companion_to_Astrology_in_the_Renaissance_ed._Brendan_Dooley_Leiden_Brill_2014_267-286
Petrus Severinus (1540/42-1602) relied on "mechanical spirits" and "seminal principles" to explain the generation of natural things. Adapted from the Florentine Neoplatonist Marsilio Ficino's (1433-1499) theory of the invisible "seeds" of... more
Petrus Severinus (1540/42-1602) relied on "mechanical spirits" and "seminal principles" to explain the generation of natural things. Adapted from the Florentine Neoplatonist Marsilio Ficino's (1433-1499) theory of the invisible "seeds" of nature, Severinus' seeds are the incorporeal vectors that inform future products (minerals, plants and animals) in natural generation. The "mechanical spirits," in turn, are conceived on the basis of Paracelsus' (1493-1541) idea of "archeus," the internal spirit-like worker and alchemist, who executes the task of generation according to the information contained in those seeds. Severinus' doctrine was received and developed among others by the Flemish mineralogist Anselmus Boetius De Boodt (1550-1632), ordinary physician to the emperor Rudolf II at Prague. De Boodt's theory of mineral generation, largely influenced by Severinus' ideas, was so influential that a number of leading natural philosophers of the first half of the seventeenth-century, including Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), accepted it without reservation. The Flemish chemist Jan Bapstita Van Helmont (1577-1644) and the French atomist Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) subsequently incorporated these ideas in their matter theories, the former emphasizing their chemical dimension and the latter their corpuscular aspects. Their theories were the most influential models for the next generation of natural philosophers, which included Robert Boyle (1627-1691). The present paper analyzes how Severinus' notions of "mechanical spirits" and of "seeds" were incorporated into the very core of the matter theories of Van Helmont and Gassendi.
Mechanical Agent in Renaissance Matter Theories Hiro Hirai* Abstract The present paper aimed to give a new light on the notion of mechanical (mechanicus) agent, which was often used in the tradition of Renaissance natural philosophy... more
Mechanical Agent in Renaissance Matter Theories Hiro Hirai* Abstract The present paper aimed to give a new light on the notion of mechanical (mechanicus) agent, which was often used in the tradition of Renaissance natural philosophy and especially in Paracelsian chemistry. ...
