Traditionally, gravitas denotes the inner source of movement towards the center of the universe. In the mediaeval Latin tradition, the chief problem was to fit this notion within a coherent Aristotelian framework. As philosophers in the Renaissance begin to breach the constraints of Aristotelian natural philosophy, we see diverse attempts to conceive gravitas as a force also responsible for natural phenomena such as tides and free fall acceleration. The coexistence in the Renaissance of different Aristotelian and non-Aristotelian concepts of gravitas makes the latter a polysemic scientific term, whose meaning can be determined only after careful examination of the context in which it was employed.
Gravitas, Renaissance Concept of
Malara, Ivan
2020-01-01
Abstract
Traditionally, gravitas denotes the inner source of movement towards the center of the universe. In the mediaeval Latin tradition, the chief problem was to fit this notion within a coherent Aristotelian framework. As philosophers in the Renaissance begin to breach the constraints of Aristotelian natural philosophy, we see diverse attempts to conceive gravitas as a force also responsible for natural phenomena such as tides and free fall acceleration. The coexistence in the Renaissance of different Aristotelian and non-Aristotelian concepts of gravitas makes the latter a polysemic scientific term, whose meaning can be determined only after careful examination of the context in which it was employed.
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNICA sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono protetti da diritto d'autore, salvo diversa indicazione.
