The Reception of John Philoponus' Natural Philosophy - (Bloomsbury Studies in the Aristotelian Tradition) by Emmanuele Vimercati (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In some of his most famous works, John Philoponus (c. 490-570 CE) confronts numerous aspects of Aristotle's philosophy and science. Yet the influence of these reinterpretations and critiques remains under-examined. This volume fills this gap by uncovering the considerable impact of Philoponus' natural philosophy in both the medieval and Renaissance periods. Divided into three parts, the first part of the volume introduces central concepts in Philoponus' philosophy. Highlighting the areas of crossover as well as of disagreement with Aristotle, chapters dedicate specific attention to Philoponus' theories of place, matter and vacuum; his ideas of motion; his discussion of the heavens and the fifth element; and his anthropology. This is followed, in parts two and three, by a focus on Philoponus' reception in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance respectively. Shedding light on the scientific ideas circulating in these periods, international experts explore a range of topics from the renewal of Aristotelianism in the Arab world, through the medieval Byzantine and Latin traditions, to Philoponus' appearance in the early works of Galileo. Engaging with a number of Philoponus' key tracts, The Reception of John Philoponus' Natural Philosophy is both a much-needed study of Philoponus' influence and a revealing analysis of how Aristotelian science was received, adapted, critiqued and mediated throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance." --

Book Synopsis

In some of his most famous works, John Philoponus (c. 490-570 CE) confronts numerous aspects of Aristotle's philosophy and science. Yet the influence of these reinterpretations and critiques remains under-examined. This volume fills this gap by uncovering the considerable impact of Philoponus' natural philosophy in both the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Divided into three parts, the first part of the volume introduces central concepts in Philoponus' philosophy. Highlighting the areas of crossover as well as of disagreement with Aristotle, chapters dedicate specific attention to Philoponus' theories of place, matter and vacuum; his ideas of motion; his discussion of the heavens and the fifth element; and his anthropology. This is followed, in parts two and three, by a focus on Philoponus' reception in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance respectively. Shedding light on the scientific ideas circulating in these periods, international experts explore a range of topics from the renewal of Aristotelianism in the Arab world, through the medieval Byzantine and Latin traditions, to Philoponus' appearance in the early works of Galileo.

Engaging with a number of Philoponus' key tracts, The Reception of John Philoponus' Natural Philosophy is both a much-needed study of Philoponus' influence and a revealing analysis of how Aristotelian science was received, adapted, critiqued and mediated throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Review Quotes

John Philoponus is widely regarded as one of the most important Peripatetic commentators who followed in the wake of Ammonius of Alexandria and as a highly original speculative thinker in his own right. He is also a figure whose large body of works remains relatively understudied despite efforts made especially since the 1980s to bring him into sharper focus. A similarly understudied but directly relevant piece of the overall puzzle is that of Philoponus' philosophical influence after ca. 570 CE, which extended from the Arab world to medieval Byzantium, the Latin Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. The thirteen chapters comprising this volume mark an important and tightly orchestrated advance in charting the Fortleben of Philoponus' natural philosophy from Philoponus himself to Galileo.
John Magee, Professor, Department of Classics, University of Toronto

Natural philosophy in late antiquity, just like influence of this philosophy on medieval and early modern thinking is a sadly neglected field in scholarly literature. John Philoponus was a leading figure in Neoplatonism and his views on physics, especially on the nature of motion, were innovative. The volume is neatly arranged and contains many excellent analyses. As a result, it conveys important new insights, not only on Philoponus' theory, but also on the theoretical context within which it was received in later times.
Peter Lautner, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest

The importance of Philoponus, well until the time of Galileo, cannot be underestimated as the scholarly and interesting chapters in this book demonstrate.
William R. Shea, Galileo Chair, University of Padua, Italy

About the Author

Emmanuele Vimercati is Professor of History of Ancient Philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, Italy. His previous titles include Fate, Providence and Free Will: Philosophy and Religion in Dialogue in the Early Imperial Age (2020), co-edited with R. Brouwer, and Nicholas of Cusa and the Aristotelian Tradition. A Philosophical and Theological Survey (2020), co-edited with V. Zaffino.