Medieval Cosmology: Theories of Infinity, Place, Time, Void, and the Plurality of Worlds

Description

These selections from Le système du monde, the classic ten-volume history of the physical sciences written by the great French physicist Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), focus on cosmology, Duhem's greatest interest. By reconsidering the work of such Arab and Christian scholars as Averroes, Avicenna, Gregory of Rimini, Albert of Saxony, Nicole Oresme, Duns Scotus, and William of Occam, Duhem demonstrated the sophistication of medieval science and cosmology.

For the incredible story regarding the opposition to the publication of this work, which lasted a half-century, see Stanley L. Jaki's Reluctant Heroine (1992).

Condensing the 10-volume work of the author [Le système du monde, Vols. 1–10, Hermann, Paris, 1913–1959] was certainly not an easy task. In fact the present book is not a digest of Duhem's work but a selection of several chapters devoted to the five following themes: infinity, place, time, void and plurality of worlds. The selected chapters, with the exception of one, are taken from Duhem's volumes VII–X, to wit, posthumous parts of Le système du monde which deal with abstract foundations of medieval cosmology. Consequently the outline of Duhem's work in the English translation is modified as compared to the French publication. This change as well as the selection of chapters are justified by the translator as follows: (1) a topical arrangement instead of a chronological one or one by author was chosen by Duhem himself in the last part published before he died (Volumes VI–IX); (2) all the selected chapters deal with medieval commentaries on Books III and IV of Aristotle's Physics in which the author proceeds topically; (3) this selection provides the reader with the best set of chapters by which to judge Duhem's bold historical thesis: that the condemnations of the Averroësism brought forth by Étienne Tempier (Bishop of Paris) in 1277 were the "birth certificate'' of modern science. So we have here a coherent book which will give to a wider readership a representative idea of Duhem's monumental work—which still remains unreplaced for the specialists. The English translation is very close to the French text within a few minute shades. As to Duhem's French translations of Medieval Latin texts the translator adopted the attitude of rendering Duhem's translations as faithfully as possible and of giving all pertinent references to the original texts. Duhem's footnotes are also translated with some bracketed additional precisions or references. One also finds a bibliography of the medieval works cited by Duhem, with up-to-date references, a selected Duhem bibliography and a selected bibliography of works on medieval physics published after Duhem's books. This English translation is introduced by an interesting foreword by Jaki on Duhem's life and work. Reviewed by Anne Tihon