Early Modern Intellectual History

Plato's Critias, whose Latin title is Atlanticus, is famously a labor imperfectus. Francis Bacon's New Atlantis (1626) ends, or fails to end, or even refuses to end with the equally famous, maddening, bracketed sentence: "[the rest was not perfected]".

I argue that, if we want to understand the significance of this double textual "imperfection"-ancient (in the Critias) and modern (in the New Atlantis)-, we must concentrate on three moments in Bacon's "worke unfinished": the identification of Plato's Atlantis as Great Atlantis, namely America; the replacement of an earthquake with a deluge, so that New Atlantis is not engulfed in an ocean of mud; and the experimental rewriting of Plato's allegory of the cave in the Republic.

Deceptive grottos are relevant in Bacon's reception/elaboration of the Platonic cave in the Novum Organum. But cavernous spaces and subterranean holes play a startlingly novel role in the New Atlantis.
A truly epoch-making question is at stake. What do these modern variations mean?
In this paper, I try to answer this question.

CfP Catania, 11-13 April 2024

Deadline: 31 December 2024

Please submit the following items in a single attachment:
- an abstract not exceeding 500 words;
- a list of up to ten references (including sources and bibliography);
- four keywords;
- a curriculum vitae et studiorum of no more than 1500 words.

Submissions should be sent via email to: power.workshopcatania@gmail.com

For any inquiries regarding the workshop, please contact: power.workshopcatania@gmail.com

Scientific Committee and Organizers of the 2024 Workshop:
Giovanni Contel (Istituto per gli Studi Storici, Napoli)
Giacomo Santoro (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa)

Tänasel päeval kõlab sageli süüdistusi genotsiidis. "Genotsiid" on mõiste, mis on üldistatud ajaloolisest sündmusest nimega "Holokaust". Selgub aga, et filosoofia entsüklopeediates esineb küll sageli väljend "Holokaust", ei esine aga peaaegu üldse väljendit "Nakba". Mõiste illustreerimiseks kasutatud paradigmaatiliste näidiste valik mõjutab dispositsioone, millal seda mõistet taibatakse kasutada ja millal sellest hoidutakse.

Helen Pierce  kindly invited me to talk about my current enthusiasm --  alba amicorum a few years ago. My magnum opus on the imagery to be found in early modern a.a. is eagerly awaited (of course) -- here's a sampler!  But if there are any publishers out there who know a good thing when they see it,
I'm ready for you!

Questions about how closure is achieved in disputes involving new observational or experimental claims have highlighted the role of bodily knowledge possibly irreducible to written experimental protocols and instructions how to build and operate instruments. This essay asks similar questions about a scenario that is both related and significantly different: the replication of an invention, not of an observation or the instrument through which it produced. Furthermore, the machine considered here—Galileo’s compass or sector—was not a typical industrial invention (like a spinning jenny), but a mathematical invention (a calculator), that is, a machine that produces numbers, not yarn. This case study describes some of the similarities and differences between replicating experiments, traditional machines producing material outputs, and mathematical inventions yielding calculations or information. This comparison indicates that, as in other kinds of replication, the replication of mathema...

Half a century after Giuseppe Ermini's monumental History of the University of Perugia (Florence 1971), which reconstructed the vicissitudes of Perugia's University from its foundation to the early 20th century, and thirty years after Giancarlo Dozza's work (University of Perugia. Seven centuries of modernity. 1308-1976, Perugia 1991), which unraveled the thread of Ermini's treatise up to 1976, this book retraces the salient stages in the history of the University of Perugia from its origins to the present day, making use of the work of collecting and editing documentary sources and the numerous thematic and biographical in-depth studies carried out by historiography over the last twenty years. Illustrated by images that patch the reading, the text is proposed as a sharp and up-to-date tool for the knowledge of an eighteenth-century institution that was born and developed in symbiosis with the transformation of its city.

Jacques Parrain Des Coutures , d’abord militaire, se fit ensuite érudit défenseur des vertus de la Religion Catholique et de celles du Roi Très Catholique.
Comme tous les intellectuels de son temps, pour illustrer et appuyer ses réflexions sur la morale d’Épicure, il recourt aux classiques de la philosophie et de la littérature antiques et patristiques : Aristote, Platon, Cicéron, Plutarque, saint Augustin, Justin, mais surtout à Sénèque, qu’il cite abondamment.
Déjà paradoxal en soi (car Sénèque est un Stoïcien affiché, dont la célébration de la sobriété et de la pauvreté sont étonnantes venant d’un membre actif à la cour de Néron, et de l’homme le plus riche de l’empire, après l’empereur.), il est contradictoire avec la détestation que Des Coutures proclame violemment contre les Stoïciens. On a le sentiment que Des Coutures se sert d’Épicure pour contrecarrer l’influence du stoïcisme dans les milieux qu’il rencontre, comme Gassendi s’en était servi pour contrecarrer celle de la scolastique aristotélicienne qu’il rencontrait dans les écoles.

A mo­dern nem­zet for­má­ló­dá­sá­val kap­cso­la­tos ku­ta­tá­sok az el­múlt év­ti­ze­dek­ben egy­re na­gyobb hang­súlyt he­lyez­nek a na­ci­o­na­liz­mus 16–18. szá­za­di előz­mé­nye­i­re. Je­len mun­ka a nem­zet­kö­zi his­to­riog­rá­fia ezen irány­za­tá­hoz kap­cso­ló­dik, még­pe­dig egy össze­tett ideo­lo­géma, a déli szláv ka­to­li­ku­sok ál­tal ki­dol­go­zott 16–17. szá­za­di il­lír­iz­mus vizs­gá­la­tá­val. A ku­ta­tás ap­ro­pó­ját egy 2008-ban fel­fe­de­zett do­ku­men­tum, Za­icz Já­nos pá­los szer­ze­tes­nek az 1634. évi zág­rá­bi zsi­nat után össze­ál­lí­tott, ed­dig is­me­ret­len em­lék­ira­ta jelentette.

A kö­tet rész­le­te­sen be­mu­tat­ja a Páz­mány Pé­ter esz­ter­go­mi ér­sek ál­tal kép­vi­selt ma­gyar­or­szá­gi nem­ze­ti kon­fesszio­nalizációval szem­be­for­du­ló zág­rá­bi püs­pök­ség lé­pé­se­it, az 1633. évi nagy­szom­ba­ti nem­ze­ti zsi­nat el­len til­ta­ko­zó, majd VIII. Or­bán pápa ál­tal ér­vény­te­le­ní­tett 1634. évi zág­rá­bi egy­ház­me­gyei zsi­nat tör­té­ne­tét, il­let­ve a szer­ző­ként azo­no­sí­tott pá­los szer­ze­tes élet­út­ját és szel­le­mi arc­élét. A zsi­na­tok konf­lik­tu­sá­nak ered­mé­nye Za­icz em­lék­ira­ta, a horvát–szlavón egy­há­zi és po­li­ti­kai elit ál­tal kép­vi­selt ren­di (vagy pan­non) il­lír­iz­mus leg­ko­ráb­bi és na­gyon plasz­ti­kus meg­fo­gal­ma­zá­sa, amely – mi­ként az az il­lír­iz­mu­sok ti­po­ló­gi­ai vizs­gá­la­tá­ból egy­ér­tel­mű­en ki­de­rül – Rátt­kay György tör­té­ne­ti mun­ká­já­ban érte el csúcs­pont­ját, és a ko­rai hor­vát nem­zet­épí­tés fon­tos ki­in­du­ló­pont­ja lett.

A kis­mo­nog­rá­fi­át a zág­rá­bi zsi­nat­ra vo­nat­ko­zó for­rá­sok­nak és Za­icz ér­te­ke­zé­sé­nek kri­ti­kai ki­adá­sa egé­szí­ti ki.

This book provides the first comprehensive treatment of Albert the Great’s (c. 1193–1280) notion of virtus formativa, a shaping force responsible for crucial dynamics in the formation of living beings. Crossing the boundaries between theology and philosophy, the notion of virtus formativa, or formative power, was central in explaining genetic inheritance and the configuration of the embryo. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this book reconstructs how Albert the Great, motivated by theological open issues, reorganised the natural-philosophical and medical theories on embryonic development, creatively drawing upon Greek, Patristic, and Arabic sources. A valuable contribution to research, this book offers essential insights for those studying the history of embryology, medicine, and science in the medieval and Renaissance periods.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-24023-2#about-this-book

[EN]: Conceived initially as a long private letter addressed to the eldest son, the Basilikon Doron is first and foremost a classic treatise on the education of the heir. Moreover, it is a source of privileged provenancefr - om the direct hand of the monarch - that restores with great accuracy a cross-section of the political and cultural life of the British Isle at the dawn of the Seventeenth century. A work with a pronounced moral and political afflatus, a modern manifesto - so to speak - of absolutism and the theory of the divine right of sovereigns; it does not, however, neglect to provide fascinating insights into the court morals, customs and manners that should befit a pious and wise prince.

[IT]: Concepito inizialmente come una lunga lettera privata destinata al primogenito, il Basilikon Doron è in primo luogo un classico trattato sull’educazione dell’erede. Inoltre, è una fonte di provenienza privilegiata – di pugno diretto del monarca, tra i più eruditi che la storia anglosassone possa vantare – che restituisce con grande accuratezza uno spaccato della vita politica e culturale dell’Isola britannica all’alba del Seicento. Un’opera dal marcato afflato morale e politico, un manifesto moderno – per così dire – dell’assolutismo e della teoria del diritto divino dei sovrani, che non trascura tuttavia di fornire indicazioni affascinanti sulla morale di corte, sui costumi e sulle buone maniere che devono addirsi a un principe pio e saggio.

Slides are here: https://www.academia.edu/107924470/ - The Black Sea region is terrene of cultural contacts between East Europe and the Balkans, and such ties were reflected by the Romanian-Ukrainian contacts, as well, by the activity of Petru Movilă, who was of Romanian origin from Moldova, however, he became the Kyivan metropolitan in the East part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, there established the great institution of the higher education, the Kyivo-Mogilyan Academia, that later was named after him. As he supported his native lands with printing equipment, he provided the free flow of ideas and cultural innovations, too. He is generally named by the Ukrainian spelling Petro Mohyla; however, he was originally Petru Movilă for he was born in Moldavia. — After the printing houses declined on Romanian lands by the break of the 16/17 cc. (which happened because of several causes, that are to be overlooked in the paper), Matej Basarab, Prince of the Ţara Românească (the Romanian Principality of Walachia, verbatim “The Tsardom of Romania”), requested Petro Mohyla to send him pieces of typographic equipment as well as typographers, and the latter did it (1634). Four persons and pieces of complete equipment arrived from Kyiv. Although the mere facts have already got their description in the literature, it has not yet been evaluated as a process of the (late) Confessionalization, that is, the new forms of conscious religiosity in the 16th century. Petro Mohyla was of Romanian origin, especially Moldavian, therefore, his great willingness to help the Romanian book-printing was a gesture toward his native land, which must be considered while evaluating these ties as the links between different terrenes of the Orthodox Confessionalization. Moreover, Mohyla was a great innovator of the Ruthenian (ruśka) culture in Kyiv – it must not be confused with the Russian. (Danylenko, 2006, 2017.) All his activity (providing the schooling, establishing the higher education in Kyiv, and providing the printing as well) must be evaluated as the late phase of the Confessionalization, which meant the new forms of institutionalization of the cultural and social life, in the frameworks of different religious confessions of the 16th century. —– Also, Moldova renewed its printing culture with the help of Petro Mohyla, as well. However, the Moldavian ruler turned to Moscow first. Metropolitan Varlaam of Moldavia (1632‑1653) informed the Russian Tsar in 1637 that some of the sacred books had been prepared in manuscript in the country and would require a printing press to publish them. From the preface of Cartea Româmeăscă, published in Iaşi in 1643, we can learn, the Kyivan Metropolitan Petro Mohyla sent a printing press to Iaşi, too, for the Moldavian Ruler’s request. Therefore, the historical sources prove that the ruler of Moldavia wanted first to require Moscow’s help, albeit he turned later to Kyiv.

Full-text as published paper here: Paper here: https://www.academia.edu/107925921/
The Black Sea region is terrene of cultural contacts between East Europe and the Balkans, and such ties were reflected by the Romanian-Ukrainian contacts, as well, by the activity of Petru Movilă, who was of Romanian origin from Moldova, however, he became the Kyivan metropolitan in the East part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, there established the great institution of the higher education, the Kyivo-Mogilyan Academia, that later was named after him. As he supported his native lands with printing equipment, he provided the free flow of ideas and cultural innovations, too. He is generally named by the Ukrainian spelling Petro Mohyla; however, he was originally Petru Movilă for he was born in Moldavia. — After the printing houses declined on Romanian lands by the break of the 16/17 cc., Matej Basarab, Prince of the Ţara Românească (the Romanian Principality of Walachia, verbatim “The Tsardom of Romania”), requested Petro Mohyla to send him pieces of typographic equipment as well as typographers, and the latter did it (1634). Four persons and pieces of complete equipment arrived from Kyiv. It must be evaluated as a process of the (late) Confessionalization, that is, the new forms of conscious religiosity. Petro Mohyla was of Moldavian, therefore, his great willingness to help the Romanian book-printing was a gesture toward his native land. Also, Moldova renewed its printing culture with the help of Petro Mohyla, as well.  From the preface of Cartea Româmeăscă, published in Iaşi in 1643, we can learn, that the Kyivan Metropolitan Petro Mohyla sent a printing press to Iaşi, too, for the Moldavian Ruler’s request.

Preface General Perspectives Ignacio ANGELELLI: Adventures of Abstraction Allan BACK: What is Being qua Being Francesco CONIGLIONE: Between Abstraction and Idealization: Scientific Practice and Philosophical Awareness Case Studies Desmond Paul HENRY: Anselm on Abstracts Leen SPRUIT: Agent Intellect and Phantasms. On the Preliminaries of Peripatetic Abstraction Robin D. ROLLINGER: Hermann Lotze on Abstraction and Platonic Ideas Roberto POLI: W.E. Johnson's Determinable-Determinate Opposition and his Theory of Abstraction Maria van der SCHAAR: The Red of a Rose. On the Significance of Stout's Category of Abstract Particulars Claire ORTIZ HILL: Abstraction and Idealization in Edmund Husserl and Georg Cantor prior to 1895 Guillermo E. ROSADO HADDOCK: Idealization in Mathematics: Husserl and Beyond Andrzej KLAWITER: Why Did Husserl not Become the Galileo of the Science of Consciousness? Giovanni CAMARDI: Ideal Types and Scientific Theories

Although religion and scholarship both belong to the vita contemplativa and thus can be considered conceptually related, early modern ‘monastic humanists’ consistently had to justify their scholarly pursuits. As examples from the Bursfeld and Windesheim reforms show, they did not resort to the established connection of scholarship and religion in the contemplative life in order to do so. Instead, they conceptualized studying as a type of labour and therefore understood it as part of the vita activa. Consequently,  scholarly activity was separated from religious contemplation and subordinated to it. In this interplay of vita activa and vita contemplativa, the humanistically minded monk can strive for perfection.

Dans le cadre d'une reflexion articulee autour d'un recueil de farces publie en 1510 qui relate les aventures de Till l'Espiegle entre 1300 et 1350 (presente par Emilie Ains, doctorante), il s'agit de poser les jalons d'une reflexion sur " la norme et la transgression au cœur de la famille en France et dans l'Empire, XIVe - XVIe siecles ". A l'epoque ou se deroule les aventures de Till, comme dans les premieres annees du XVIe siecle ou l'œuvre est composee, les principes normatifs attaches au mariage sont en place. La periode d'etude 1450-1530 invite a prendre toutefois en consideration une reactivation des debats sur le mariage, tant dans la litterature didactique et/ou de divertissement que dans les discours savants et doctrinaux, qui seront plus specifiquement abordes. A l'articulation du XVe et du XVIe siecle, les polemiques entre paulinisme matrimonial, critique hieronymienne du mariage au profit de la virginite, ou mise en caus...

In the early modern period, treatises on machines played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge related to engineering, mechanics, and technology. These written works, authored by inventors, engineers, and scholars, were meticulously crafted to document and explain various machines, their underlying principles, and their practical applications. Notably, these treatises often incorporated deliberate inaccuracies in their illustrations for various reasons. These intentional alterations were made to safeguard the author's intellectual property, evaluate the readers' understanding, or simply add an element of entertainment. Some instances included misoriented waterwheel buckets, distorted proportions in flying machine components, and concealed mechanisms. The purpose behind these intentional errors, whether to protect designs or due to limitations in the printing process, remains a topic of debate among scholars.

This paper examines the nature of “asceticism” (rīyāḍat) in Sufism, revolving around the works of the 13th-century Persian Sufi Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī Balkī and exploring two critical inquiries: Firstly, the article seeks to determine whether Rūmī’s mystical perspective on asceticism is world-rejecting or world-affirming. Secondly, it investigates potential parallels and divergences between Rūmī and Meister Eckhart’s stances—specifically, through the Dominican’s Sermons and Treatises—and assesses the implications for the two figures. In examining Rūmī’s works, the research primarily relies on secondary sources within the Persian intellectual tradition to provide an intracultural context. Utilizing horizontal and vertical interpretations, the study examines critical themes in Rūmī’s works, such as love, detachment (zuhd), the world’s deceptive nature, and seclusion. The findings reveal that Rūmī’s asceticism is not “monastic” (ruhbānī); instead, it balances moderate abstinence and worldly engagement, underpinned by the Quran and the ḥadīth teachings. Rūmī and Eckhart underscore asceticism as an inner transformation rather than mere physical austerity, emphasizing inner purification, self-transcendence, and spiritual detachment as routes to divine unity. The two thinkers’ teachings are catalysts for profound personal transformation and a more fulfilling life in today’s world.

The present work explores the idea that concepts present in Nicole Oresme's work, and rooted in the medieval revival of Corpus Aristotelicum, are reflected throughout active areas of research today. Nicole Oresme's volume, titled Tractatus de configurationibus qualitatum et motuum, approximately written between 1351 and 1355, showcases early mathematical applications that would presently be classified as works in computational biology and applied mathematics. Oresme uses his "doctrine of configurations" to investigate various real-world phenomena, alluding to several examples that align with recent developments in applied mathematics. In our paper, we investigate Oresme's sources, motivations, examples and models, and their correspondences with recent works in the field of mathematical modeling. We focus on two classes of applications: (1) modeling pleasure and imagination, and (2) modeling subjective perceptions such as fear, hope, sorrow, and joy.

Painted in 1576, Jacopo Bassano’s 'The Flood of the Colmeda' commemorates a deluge that swept through the small town of Feltre, in the mountains to the north of Venice, in 1564. Drawing attention to aspects of 'The Flood of the Colmeda' that evoke period speculation about the potential human causes of flooding on the Venetian mainland, a topic of increasing concern during a period of aggressive agricultural and industrial expansion in Venetian territory, this article advances an ecocritical interpretation of the painting and of Bassano’s work, in general.