Summary
JOPHIL will provide the first systematic study into the origins of our modern conceptions of space and void. As people living in the 21st century, we give for granted that objects are tridimensional and that void space exists in nature (or it can be produced artificially). Yet, this was not always the case. Aristotle, the great ancient thinker whose worldview remained dominant in Europe well into the 17th century, thought otherwise. He understood objects as having two dimensions only, and he resolutely rejected the idea that void space could possibly exist. The first thinker to take exception to Aristotle’s views was John Philoponus, a 6th-century Egyptian scholar writing in Greek. Unknown in the Middle Ages, Philoponus’ works were rediscovered and translated only in 15th-century Italy. Once available, they had a seismic impact on Renaissance natural philosophy and science: they provided Renaissance scholars with the tools to rethink crucial aspects of the physics of the time, and they laid the foundations of the ‘new science’ which would emerge in the 17th century. Challenging the dominant Eurocentric narratives about the origins of the Scientific Revolution, JOPHIL will map for the first time the rediscovery and progressive assimilation of Philoponus’ innovative ideas of space and void into 16th-century Europe. It will do so by examining the material recovery of Philoponus’ texts in Renaissance Italy and by exploring their impact on five European thinkers who, between 1520 and 1604, read and discussed Philoponus’ works. JOPHIL contributes to re-orient the origins of modern science in two different ways. First, it re-evaluates the role played by non-European thinkers in the shaping of European science, thus fostering a new idea of Europe as the historical product of a variety of different cultures and traditions. Second, it broadens the canon of the protagonists of modern science, thus contributing to more inclusive research and educational practices in the future.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101103629 |
| Start date: | 01-09-2023 |
| End date: | 31-08-2026 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | - 280 202,00 Euro |
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Original description
JOPHIL will provide the first systematic study into the origins of our modern conceptions of space and void. As people living in the 21st century, we give for granted that objects are tridimensional and that void space exists in nature (or it can be produced artificially). Yet, this was not always the case. Aristotle, the great ancient thinker whose worldview remained dominant in Europe well into the 17th century, thought otherwise. He understood objects as having two dimensions only, and he resolutely rejected the idea that void space could possibly exist. The first thinker to take exception to Aristotle’s views was John Philoponus, a 6th-century Egyptian scholar writing in Greek. Unknown in the Middle Ages, Philoponus’ works were rediscovered and translated only in 15th-century Italy. Once available, they had a seismic impact on Renaissance natural philosophy and science: they provided Renaissance scholars with the tools to rethink crucial aspects of the physics of the time, and they laid the foundations of the ‘new science’ which would emerge in the 17th century. Challenging the dominant Eurocentric narratives about the origins of the Scientific Revolution, JOPHIL will map for the first time the rediscovery and progressive assimilation of Philoponus’ innovative ideas of space and void into 16th-century Europe. It will do so by examining the material recovery of Philoponus’ texts in Renaissance Italy and by exploring their impact on five European thinkers who, between 1520 and 1604, read and discussed Philoponus’ works. JOPHIL contributes to re-orient the origins of modern science in two different ways. First, it re-evaluates the role played by non-European thinkers in the shaping of European science, thus fostering a new idea of Europe as the historical product of a variety of different cultures and traditions. Second, it broadens the canon of the protagonists of modern science, thus contributing to more inclusive research and educational practices in the future.Status
SIGNEDCall topic
HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01Update Date
31-07-2023
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